Fading Genius
by Misguidedscience
Summary: When Cordelia flees, abandoning her pegasus sisters, never hearing their request to her, she is wracked with guilt, delaying her arrival at Breakneck Pass. With more death upon her head, and a festering hate of Plegians, will she be able to cope with being in the Shepherds? Or will she snap, crushed by the pressure? Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1 - Survival Instinct

Chapter 1: Survival Instinct

Cordelia didn't have time to think. She knew she had to fly. As soon as the horrific images flashed before her eyes, she knew she had to fly. Was she doing the right thing? She didn't even have time to think about her morals. Risking a quick glance behind her, Cordelia felt a tear form in her eye. She wasn't doing the right. But she was doing the smart thing. Wasn't that a good enough reason to fly? To flee. Her pegasus whinnied, sensing her master's distress. Cordelia managed a regretful smile. She didn't deserve this. To have such a loyal steed. She didn't deserve what she had. The sounds of screaming and death flooded her ears. But she just had to keep flying. She didn't dare risk stopping. To do so would be to invite certain death. The same horrible murder her fellow pegasus knights were suffering. The same fate Cordelia had left them to. What kind of a pegasus knight was she? She should go back. She had to go back. But… They would already be likely dead. Her comrades were already gone. She was alone. As she always had been, she supposed. Did her fellow sisters-in-arms ever care for her? Would they want to be saved by her? Saved by 'Little Lady Genius'. Cordelia felt anger surge in her body. She wasn't a genius. She was just the same as anyone else, wasn't she? She wasn't any different to the other Shepherds. No. She was. The other Shepherds wouldn't have abandoned their comrades to die.  
"Why? Why did I give in to my fear? Why didn't I stay?" Cordelia choked back tears, as she started to unleash her guilt upon her steed. Though she knew her pegasus wouldn't respond, Cordelia just wanted somebody, anybody would listen to her. Who would make her feel better. Make her feel like she wasn't worthless. But there was nobody. She was alone. Without. Without friends. Without comrades. Without a purpose. Why was she even doing this? In her head, she was telling herself she was going to Breakneck Pass. To save Captain Chrom. But she wasn't headed that way. She didn't know which way she was flying. Just that she was. Flying. Away. Fleeing. Why wasn't she headed to Breakneck Pass? Why wasn't she going that way? The Shepherds were there. Chrom was there. Chrom. Cordelia felt her heart ache. What would she do if Chrom… If Chrom were to die? What would she do if she knew she had failed to save Chrom? Would she be able to carry on? With the guilt and shame of learning that she had caused the death of the exalt's brother? Of the death of the next-in-the-line? Though that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Emmeryn's reign was going strong. They had averted her death. She wouldn't be killed, at least. But that was a horrible way to think. Measuring somebody's worth on how much chaos their death would cause? What of Cordelia herself? She was just a young pegasus knight, not even high in the ranks. Nothing more than that. She shook her head. Everyone's life meant something. She couldn't sacrifice anyone. Not like she had sacrificed… No. She hadn't sacrificed them. They were going to die anyway. They were doomed, from the start. It was a harsh way of thinking, but it was the truth. Cordelia hadn't sacrificed anyone, had she? Could she have made a difference? Could she have done anything? No. She hadn't sacrificed them. She had just tried to continue their legacy. So she couldn't mope around. She didn't have that luxury. She had to fly. She had to soar.

"There she is! The last survivor!" Shouts of anger erupted from behind Cordelia. Wheeling her pegasus around, she readied her lance as the first wyvern rider flew into view, wielding a bloody steel axe. They were the ones. Who had murdered her comrades. They were going to pay. Gripping her weapon, hatred flashing in her eyes, Cordelia charged, directly at the Plegians. The savage barbarians who had taken her squad from her. Made her the only survivor.  
"We can't let her escape! Kill her, before she can run back to the exalt." But Cordelia was done running. She was done flying away from her problems, and pretending they weren't there. She was going to fight, survival instinct be damned. Striking forwards like thunder, she impaled the first rider, letting his body tumble down. Another wyvern flew into view, and her pegasus rose up, allowing her to attack from above. Her spear rushing through the rider's brain, she flew back down to face the rest of the army. A hand axe rushing towards her, she snarled angrily, as it reflected off her leg plates. Checking her armour, making sure it hadn't been pierced; she advanced forwards, hurling a javelin at the unprotected face of what looked like a novice rider. Though one part of her felt sympathy for the young Plegian, she knew this was war. And she couldn't afford to have mercy. Especially not for the monsters that had killed her squad. Not for the monsters that were threatening the life of the Shepherds. Not for the monsters that could be at this point, be killing her captain. They deserved no mercy. And they would get none. Hatred flashing in her eyes, Cordelia threw another javelin, once again killing another apprentice. It was almost like routine. Blocking a steel axe, trying not to let go of her lance, she pulled the reins of her pegasus backwards, forcing her opponent to drop his axe. Now that he was defenceless, Cordelia struck, a scream ringing out from the unarmed Plegian.  
"What are you doing? She's one pegasus knight! She withdrew from combat with us! Why are you failing against one weak recruit?" Cordelia snarled at the commander's comment. She wasn't a weak recruit! Just because she withdrew from combat didn't make her a weakling! She was fighting, wasn't she? She was getting her vengeance upon the wyvern riders, wasn't she? How dare that commander call her weak? She wasn't going to be weak! She wasn't going to allow herself the luxury of being weak! She would show them that she wasn't weak. Thrusting her lance forwards, she eliminated another wyvern rider, leaving just two left. Wheeling backwards, avoiding a clumsy hand axe, before replying with a precise javelin throw.  
"Do I have to do this all myself? Useless, incompetent… Listen up, you stupid pegasus knight. You'll never save your precious captain!" The leader rode forwards, armour plating his wyvern. A massive, sharpened axe was in his hands, and various throwing weapons were strapped to his back. His wyvern letting out a mighty roar, he hurled his first hand-axe that bounced off Cordelia's armour, though not without heavily denting it. Another axe flew towards her, this one piercing through a weak spot in her plates, cutting into her flesh. Tears of anguish and hate formed in Cordelia's eyes, as she dodged another axe strike. An angry snarl on her lips, she dived forwards, trying to attack the wyvern captain, but her lance failed to find flesh. Flying backwards, she struck out again, to much the same result. Gripping her pegasus' reins tightly, she avoided a heavy, unbalanced axe blow. Exploiting her opening, she quickly hit the wyvern's unprotected side, though her lance didn't pierce the skin deep enough to kill. Retreating, she threw a spear, which deflected off the wyvern's leg armour. A snarl came from the rider, as he swung his axe, hitting Cordelia, nearly pushing her off her pegasus. Grabbing onto its' back as hard as she could, she desperately tried to stay on. Swinging back onto her mount, she avoided the next attack, before flying off, trying to lose her attacker.  
"Flying away, are we? Flying away again? Just like how you abandoned your comrades!" Cordelia stopped, turning to face the wyvern lord.  
"Fool. That was a really genius move, wasn't it? You should've kept flying." A calm, controlled anger burned through Cordelia's veins.  
"Oh yes, I know all about your little nickname. Your comrades uttered it on their last breath. They cursed your name. 'Little Lady Genius'." Without warning, Cordelia flew forwards, her lance narrowly missing the Plegian's brain. Attacking again, she speared the captain's throat, ripping her bloody lance out, her body still full of rage. Taking a deep breath, she started to calm down, her body tiring as all the adrenaline surged out of her. Directing her pegasus down to a small clearing, she dismounted her steed, preparing to take a short rest. Though she knew she had to reach Breakneck Pass, she also knew she would have to recuperate her strength. Looking up to the sky, she made sure there were no more wyvern riders. Made sure the skies were clear. Despite the fact they were, Cordelia still felt uneasy. She should have gone straight to Breakneck Pass, as fast she could. To make sure Chrom was safe. But her mind was a whirl. Anger, hatred, despair, sorrow, guilt. Every single emotion had a place in her head. Every single emotion was fighting in her brain, vying for control. Fatigue washed over her, like a funeral shroud over a corpse. Trying desperately to fight her tiredness, eventually she succumbed to her exhaustion, her eyelids closing despite her protestations.

Cordelia woke up with a start, sweat pouring down her face. The voices of her dead comrades had taunted her in her sleep, asking her why. They demanded to know why they were dead, why she had fled them. They roared at her, demanding to know why 'Little Lady Genius' had failed them again. Like she had always done. Cordelia had desperately hoped it was just a dream. But the reality was that she had failed. She fled. Obeying her survival instinct, ignoring all sense of what was right. And now where was she? Nowhere close to her goal. Nowhere close to saving Chrom. Instead, once again, she had tended to her needs first. From behind her, her pegasus made a small noise, and she turned to look into the steed's seemingly-forlorn eyes.  
"I'm sorry. I've probably failed you too, haven't I?" Cordelia sighed. "Pushing you around all the time. Forcing you to fly, high-adrenaline situations. You'd like nothing more than to have a nice rest somewhere comfortable, and leave all this war nonsense behind. But I need your help one more time. I need to get to Breakneck Pass. I've been running from it, for far too long. For far too long, I have been avoiding that place, for fear of seeing if I was late. I know it was a stupid thing to do, that by doing so, I was just increasing the chance of Chrom being killed, but I couldn't stop myself. I was giving in. But no more. I'm going. I'm going to avenge my fallen pegasus knights. And I'm going to kill every one of those Plegian bastards. I'm going to make them pay." With a new determination, Cordelia mounted her Pegasus, setting off for Breakneck Pass. She had delayed for far too long, because she was scared. But she could no longer afford to give into her fear. Not yet. First, she would give into her anger. Give into her rage.

Breakneck Pass. Chrom looked around him. There were an advancing host of Plegians marching towards their position. Checking around him, to make sure his Shepherds were nearby, he prepared himself for conflict. Robin had their plan in motion – they were to wait, until the first wave of enemy troops hit them. Then, when the Plegians were weakened after their initial assault, they would attack, driving back Gangrel's forces. They had gone over the strategy many times, making sure everybody understood. One wrong move could spell the end. Chrom had to give Robin credit – coming up with such a plan, in such a small amount of time – it had only been a couple of hours after the Hierarch had betrayed them. But Robin knew it would take time for the Plegians to reach time. Time they could use. And Chrom was thankful for it. It gave him a chance to prepare, to rally the troops for the assault.  
"Captain Chrom – look!" Sumia flew to her captain's side, now able to quell the feeling of unease she had.  
"I can see them. Nothing more than organized bandits, seeking to ravage Ylisse."  
"But why are they even doing this? We seek no war with them."  
"Their king is mad, consumed with nothing but hatred for Ylisse. He is unwilling to move on, and is trying to drag us back, into a time of darkness, and turmoil. He wants us to be cloaked in the same vengeance he feels, so that he can strike, and wipe us out."  
"But..."  
"I know, Sumia. But we do what we must. How long do you think we have, before the conflict starts?"  
"Another hour, at most." Sumia looked sadly at Chrom, still not understanding the reasons for this. Chrom tried to feign a smile, tried pretending it was all alright. But he knew he wasn't being believed, and he himself knew this wasn't going to be alright. The Plegian forces would be more well-rested than the Shepherds, and though they had a brilliant tactician, the Ylisseans had not entered Breakneck Pass expecting a fight, and therefore were not fully combat-ready. Robin had tried his best, but not all the Shepherds were all as ready as they could be. Chrom could only hope that, when the fighting started, everyone was prepared. If someone were to be caught off guard... That would be unthinkable. Chrom knew he would never be able to forgive himself. Or the Plegians.  
"Chrom, a message from Lady Emmeryn – she wants to retreat. She says Phila hasn't heard from her pegasus brigade yet." Chrom just shook his head, indicating they could not. If they were to show their backs to the enemy, the Mad King would surely take the opportunity to land a heavy blow to the Ylissean army, perhaps even cut off its' head. Chrom couldn't take that risk.  
"I'm sorry. But we cannot afford to expose ourselves to the Plegians. They would surely try and destroy us. There is no more peaceful solution – we have to fight." Chrom knew the truth of his words, and though he wished he didn't have to speak them, knew that they were urgent for survival. Grabbing his Falchion, he thrust it into the air, letting the Ylisseans know they would have to fight. That it was time for war.

Cordelia didn't have time to think. She knew she had to fly. As soon as the horrific images flashed before her eyes, she knew she had to fly. Before those thoughts became a reality. She had dawdled, wasted time. How long had it been since her pegasus knight comrades were killed? Six hours, at least. Was Chrom's army already dead? Had the Ylisseans already been wiped out? Cordelia shook her head. She had to cling onto whatever little hope remained. If she fell to despair... She couldn't dare risk doing so. Taking a deep breath, she imagined the faces of those who killed her squad. That was better. Her sorrow had turned into anger. That she could use. It might not have been the most moral choice, but Cordelia couldn't care less. It wasn't moral for the wyvern riders to wipe out an unprepared opponent, but they did so anyway? What did the Plegians know of morals? What did the Mad King know of morals? Nothing. If he did, then Chrom wouldn't have been walking into an ambush, and there wouldn't have been a fleet of wyverns pursuing both him and Cordelia! Turning behind her to make sure that nobody was pursuing her, Cordelia felt her teeth clenching. All of her despair and anguish was now rage. Against the Plegians. Taking a deep breath, Cordelia let out some of that in the form of verbal insults. Though her fury would be useful, too much of it would force her into committing an act of reckless, which was possibly more harmful than being shell-shocked and traumatized. Once her anger had subsided, she felt her mind was working much more clearly. She had to find Breakneck Pass. It was east of where her squad was ambushed, but she had diverted slightly south. So she needed to head north-east, until she found the familiar wave of blue that represented the Ylisseans. Simple. She wasn't expecting to be attacked, having wiped out one of the groups of wyvern riders. Though there were bound to be more, she knew she'd have a significant distance on them, not to mention she could out speed them if necessary. But that didn't mean she could slow down. She was racing against the clock. She wasn't so much fighting the wyverns with her lance, but with the speed of her pegasus. Because that's what it boiled down to. How fast could she reach Breakneck Pass with the diversion she ended up taking? Her battle against the riders that had murdered her fellow pegasus knights may have ended up giving her a lead, but that was diminished due to her need for rest. But she knew she had to have that rest. Otherwise... She would have moved slower, for sure. She could have possibly been picked off by the Plegians, meaning her message would never have reached her destination. Meaning that there was no hope for Chrom. And Cordelia wouldn't let that happen. Chrom would survive this. The Ylisseans would survive this.

"So Chrom will not retreat? Very well, I cannot blame him. Though I had hoped for a peaceful resolution, it seems the Mad King will not retreat."  
"He will not, Lady Emmeryn. He seeks only our destruction. Only when Ylisse has fallen, and her people have been scattered to the winds, will his bloodlust be sated."  
"I fear you are right, Phila. But we mustn't give up hope. I mustn't give up hope." Emmeryn stopped, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes.  
"Lady Emmeryn?"  
"Do you have any information on the whereabouts of Marth?"  
"The lady who saved you during the assassination? No, I'm afraid I do not."  
"Have we had the chance to thank her?"  
"No, but I'm sure we'll meet her again."  
"Perhaps. Has word reached you from your pegasus knights yet?"  
"No, my lady. It is unusual for them to be delayed."  
"Do you fear the worst?"  
"Not yet, my lady. Not yet."


	2. Chapter 2 - Broken Message

Finally. Breakneck Pass. It had appeared in Cordelia's vision no less than ten minutes ago. And now she was here. All she could hope for was that she was not too late. That she had beaten the wyvern riders. Otherwise... Otherwise she had failed. And she couldn't let that happen.  
"Come on. We need to reach Chrom. Now." Diving downwards, Cordelia could feel the sounds of battle filling her ears. Screams of hatred and anger, of sorrow and despair, of pain and agony all mixed together into one tumultuous chaotic mess. Frantically, Cordelia's eyes darted around the battlefield. Where was Chrom? Where were the Shepherds?  
"This is no use. I need a closer look." Though she didn't think her pegasus could hear her, Cordelia still felt like her steed understood. Certainly, it helped Cordelia to utter her plans aloud, allow herself to make sure they were what she needed to do. Carefully decreasing her altitude, making sure no archers had aimed for her, she could make out some shapes in the fighting. But none of the Shepherds. It was just Ylissean soldiers fighting against Plegian soldiers, sometimes gaining ground, other times retreating, but always facing each other. Lances clashed against shields, again and again. It was like a melody of fighting. A brutal melody. Cordelia headed east, closer to the front lines. She knew Chrom liked to lead in the thick of the combat, and most of the Shepherds would stay close to him. They fought as a unit. Together.

"Captain Chrom! Look – in the sky!" Chrom finished off a Plegian fighter, before turning his gaze to where Sumia was pointing. A shape was in the air, heading straight for him.  
"Is that a Plegian?" Chrom stared with confusion at the figure, before realizing what it was. "That's a pegasus knight."  
"It's Cordelia!" Phila shouted, just loud enough for the Ylissean prince to here. "But she was stationed at the Plegian border. Does that mean..."  
"Has the border fallen? Are we under attack by both sides?" Chrom blocked a clumsy sword strike, before replying with his own, more careful attack. Parrying an axe blow, he pushed his attacker back, thrusting his sword into the fighter's chest. Looking around him, he saw another Plegian heading for Lissa. Grunting with determination, he charged forwards, his left arm taking the impact of the attack. Bringing his Falchion to the side, he struck into the man's stomach, creating a massive, gaping wound in the side.  
"Captain Chrom!" A shout from above. "We're in danger – a fleet of wyvern riders wiped out my squad. Gangrel was sending them forwards. Not only that, but more Plegians were on their way! We have to get out of here." Chrom shook his head.  
"More?" Chrom stopped for a moment. "We can't. Not yet. We'll have to press forwards – into the heart of the enemy." Chrom advanced forwards, cutting down another two soldiers, who were distracted by Ylisseans.  
"But-"  
"They've already killed two of our number – we can't let that sacrifice go to waste."  
"Who... Who died? How?" Cordelia flew upwards, before hurling a spear into the eye of an archer.  
"Miriel and Stahl. The wyverns that were following you... They reached here first."

"Miriel and Stahl. The wyverns that were following you... They reached here first." That phrase. As clear as day. Cordelia felt her heart begin to shatter into a million pieces. She had failed. She had failed Chrom. More than that, she had failed her fellow pegasus knights. What had she done? She had allowed her mind to be cloud by anger and rage. She had spent too much time resting. She had spent too much time fighting. If only... If only she had fled. Not listened to the wyvern captain. Brushed off his insults! Then maybe Miriel and Stahl would have been alive. But they weren't. Because of Cordelia's inability to ignore one damn insult. And now the Shepherds had paid the price. All because of her. Cordelia felt her frustration growing. Her fists clenching. A Plegian entered her view, and she snarled with rage, hurling a javelin straight at him. It was scary how satisfying it was watching the spear pierce his skull. But only part of Cordelia's brain was aware of how much she enjoyed killing the soldier. Most of her mind was too focused on her rage. Anger at herself, at the wyvern captain, at Mad King Gangrel, at these stupid Plegians... Cordelia took a deep breath, hurling another spear. Two of the Shepherds had already fallen. She wouldn't let any more die. She had seen too much death she had failed to prevent. And she was sick of it. Sick of running. Sick of letting others do the fighting. Throwing another javelin, Cordelia smiled with resolute determination. She was not running. Not anymore.

Robin looked around at the battlefield, evaluating the new information he had received. Though he was bitter at himself for allowing two Shepherds to be killed, he knew that now was neither the time nor place for such petty emotions. If he gave in to his feelings... More people would die. That was the simple fact. Blocking a sword strike, he calmly retaliated, ending the myrmidon's life. Opening a dusty tome, he ripped out a page, sending out a sphere of thunder from his hand. It smashed into another swordsman, stunning him temporarily. But that was all the time Robin needed. Rushing forwards, he quickly stabbed the myrmidon in the stomach, ripping his blade back out. Turning around, he ducked under an axe strike, replying with a careful stroke upwards, knocking the fighter back. Swinging his sword, he leapt forwards, his blade catching the Plegian in the throat. Scanning the battlefield once again, he noticed a bowman notch an arrow, aiming for Sumia. Acting quickly, Robin unleashed a blast of thunder, knocking the archer. More thunder erupted from Robin's hand, electrifying the Plegian, saving Sumia from the bowman's threat. Acknowledging her gratitude with a wave of the hand, he charged forwards, cutting down two unaware enemy soldiers, before summoning a thunderbolt to destroy a third. As an axe flashed in the side of his vision, he turned, blocking it as best as he could. Realizing he was losing ground, he quickly tilted his sword up, catching his opponent unaware. Exploiting this opportunity, his blade quickly met flesh, as it severed the fighter's head. An arrow flew past him, nearly hitting him, and he cursed under his breath as he noticed several archers upon the mountains, taking pot-shots at him, in relative safety. Desperately, Robin fired an orb of thunder which missed wildly, more than he had expected, despite the fact he knew it would be a long shot. Trying again, he snarled as the sphere, though closer than before, still managed to miss. Barely having time to dodge an arrow flying towards him, Robin felt a pain in his back. Spinning around, he slashed at the lancer that was attacking him, lopping off a leg. Quickly, he stabbed the Plegian in the heart, before drinking a vulnerary to try to ease the wound. But that left him open to the archers on the ridge, and his carelessness was punished with an arrow to the leg. Dropping to one knee, Robin tried firing off another blast of thunder, but, just as it seemed about to hit, the archer stepped to the side just in time. Cursing once again, Robin headed backwards, always keeping his eye on the archer. What could he do? It would take far too long for any foot-soldier to reach the bowmen, and cavalry would be slowed down by mountains. He had only one chance – a pegasus knight. If Sumia could strike the archers quickly, without being hit... But that wouldn't work – Chrom would never allow the plan. Not to mention Sumia was averse to fighting, ever since... Wait. They had two pegasus knights now. Robin smiled. He just hoped his plan would work.

Cordelia took a deep breath. The task she had been charged with was a dangerous one – to say the least. Not only did she have to reach the archers in the mountains, but she'd have to kill all of them as well, without being shot full of arrows. But she was the only one to do it – as Robin expected, Chrom had protested putting Sumia in danger. And when Robin had asked her, Cordelia knew she'd have to say yes. Not that she wouldn't have if she had the choice. She had to atone for her failures, and more than that, she had to kill those Plegian monsters. She would help the Shepherds win this battle, which had cost so many lives. And if that meant doing this, then damn the risks. Looking down, Cordelia waited for Robin to give the signal – a blast of thunder aimed at the archers. That would once again attract their attention, hopefully long enough for Cordelia to swoop down and kill them all. Lightning struck at the archers – killing none of them, but throwing off their aim.  
"Cordelia, now!" But Cordelia didn't need to be told. She was already heading for her prey. Striking at the unexpecting archers, like a sudden stabbing pain in the back, she flew back after killing one. Diving in again, she snarled viciously as blood splattered all over her, covering her damaged armour in a gory coat. One archer turned to her, but before he could alert his comrades, a lance was already in his throat, his warnings interrupted by a dying gurgle. Wheeling backwards, Cordelia aimed her lance perfectly, before rushing with surprising speed, killing the last of the bowmen.  
"Cordelia, there are more!" Robin shouted desperately, as another set of archers emerged from the mountains.  
"Flee! We need you elsewhere – these soldiers can't engage us yet." But Cordelia wasn't listening. As soon as she heard the word flee, her ears closed up, a familiar feeling of anger filling her body. She was not going to flee, not again. That was what... That was what led to all of this. Her fleeing.  
"Cordelia, no! I can't distract them." Robin's words were wasted. Cordelia had already charged forwards, hurling a spear at the first Plegian she saw. Narrowly dodging a speedy arrow shot, she flew straight into the archer who had tried shooting her, her lance piercing his stomach. Flying upwards, she impaled a third archer in the neck.  
"Cordelia! Stop this – listen to me. We need to you to help with the front lines." But Robin could have been talking gibberish for all Cordelia cared. She was an avatar of vengeance – a winged figure of hatred. She was going to avenge the dead. Punish the Plegians. Spinning her lance around to generate momentum, she killed the fourth and final archer, before returning back.  
"Cordelia. What the hell? What was that?"  
"Those Plegians had to pay. You weren't there, Robin. You didn't hear their screams." With that, Cordelia flew off, back into the thick of combat, leaving Robin alone to shake his head, as he dispatched yet another soldier.

Chrom heard the sound of wings beating, and looked up to see wyvern riders waiting in the mountains for the Ylisseans to near. Readying his weapon, he marched forwards, quickly blocking a particularly weak axe strike, before replying with a vicious sword strike. Gutting the fighter, he pulled out his sword, pointing it at the wyverns.  
"Shepherds – beware the riders, hiding in the mountains! They will try and ambush us – be on guard." With that being said, he held his position, making sure his fellow fighters could catch up. Though he wanted this battle over, Robin had advised that they would need all the firepower they had to break the commander's personal guard. He was apparently a fierce fighter, and unlikely to show mercy. And that was not the only bad news Robin brought. Cordelia, the pegasus knight stationed at the borders had disobeyed Robin's orders, opting instead to wreak her vengeance, despite the fact she was needed somewhere else. Chrom knew they would have to watch her, in case she acted out of turn again. But that would be a problem for a later date. Right now, Chrom had to focus on defence, fending off the Plegian attacks that came from seemingly everywhere. An arrow hit his left arm, causing him to grunt in pain, but it was not enough to stop him from killing a speedy fighter. Jumping backwards, to avoid another arrow, he turned to his left, parrying a furious sword strike. Blocking another one, he pushed his attacker back, knocking the wind out of the myrmidon. Swiftly, Chrom beheaded the Plegian, before cutting off another swordsman's limbs. A scream came from near him, and he saw Sumia impale an archer in the eye. Quickly rushing in front of her, to deflect a missile with his Falchion, he uttered his gratitude as Robin electrocuted the offending archer.  
"You okay, Sumia?"  
"Yes, Captain. I am fine, thank you. It's just..."  
"You don't want to fight?"  
"Not that. I'm worried. About Cordelia."  
"You two are friends, right? Do you know what caused this?"  
"Her squad was wiped out."  
"But there seems to be something else. Did she have any problems, with her fellow pegasus knights? Did she ever get into arguments with them?"  
"No. She never spoke about them being harsh to her."  
"We'll ask her after the battle. For now-" Chrom quickly killed a Plegian fighter, "-we have to end this fight!"

Riding forwards, Sully hastened to catch up with Chrom, shoving a lance down a myrmidon's throat. Though most of the enemies had been finished off, there were still a few stragglers here and there, not to mention the large host of wyvern riders accompanying the Plegian commander. Still, the battle was nearly won, and then they could return to Ylisstol. Smiling at the prospect of victory, Sully charged forwards, stabbing an archer in the chest. A hand axe flew from behind her, striking down the other.  
"The Vaike is on fire tonight!" Sully just shook her head, riding towards Chrom's position.  
"Hey, wait! Let Teach catch up!" Smiling, despite herself, Sully pushed her horse a little faster, making sure there was no way 'Teach' could keep her pace.  
"You're on a horse! That's hardly fair." But Sully declined to respond, instead concentrating on looking around her, in case of any last enemies. Spying a fighter hidden amongst some low-lying hills, she hurled a javelin, striking the Plegian in the head. Bringing her horse to a quick halt, she made sure there were no more enemies hiding in the mountains, before heading to where Chrom was. She just hoped that the Shepherds would be there soon, so they could finish this fight.

Cordelia took a deep breath, letting some of her anger flow from her body, as she looked around for her next target. Swooping down from above caught an unsuspecting soldier with her lance, piercing his stomach. Flying back up, she launched herself at the Plegians again, killing another soldier, who was too busy fighting the advancing Ylisseans to realize what was happening. Hitting a third fighter in the eye with her lance, she turned, heading to the front lines, to help the push forwards.  
"Robin, I'm here. Are we ready?" Cordelia just wanted this battle over with. Just wanted the Plegians crushed.  
"We are ready-" Robin pointed to him and the rest of the Shepherds, "-but I'm afraid I'll need you to patrol behind us, to make sure no more wyverns creep up on us. You've had experience fighting them – you're the best chance we have." Not saying a word, Cordelia turned, heading back to the start of Breakneck Pass. As soon as she thought Robin was out of earshot, she let out a stream of curses, each one progressively more imaginative. Robin thought she was a risk! A hazard to his plans! And now, the vengeance that she so desperately wanted to unleash had been denied. She was stuck with patrol duty. And she and Robin knew full well that this battle would be over by the time any Plegian reinforcements arrived. By the time any combat would have occurred near Cordelia, the Shepherds would have been celebrating their victory in Ylisstol. The wyvern riders were slow, and cumbersome, unlikely to reach Breakneck Pass in the time it would have taken for Chrom to win. Still, at least there were benefits. She wasn't in any immediate danger, and had time to sort her thoughts out. Though now was still not the time for despair, it was perhaps the time to release her anger, in case she disobeyed Robin once again. And though she would dearly love to do that, she knew the Shepherds, and Chrom, would not be best pleased. And she definitely did not want to upset Chrom any more than she had done. Therefore, she would just have to deal with the task she had been assigned. There would be times for arguments about it later. Times for regret, anger, and everything. Later.

"Right? Are we ready?" Chrom looked around him, at the host of Shepherds that accompanied him. Though their number had never been great, and today had been reduced by two, they were still a feared fighting force, an elite group. Chrom had every confidence in them that they would carry this battle forwards. Charging ahead, the inevitable Plegian attack happened – a wave of wyverns from the north, with soldiers rushing to greet them from the east. Knowing his Falchion was designed for dragon slaying, Chrom headed near the mountains, cutting down the riders that attempted to take his life. Jumping backwards, he avoided an axe swing, before leaping into the air, and landing on a low-flying wyvern. Frantically, the rider steered the wyvern higher and higher, trying to gain some altitude, but Chrom was not fazed. Knocking the rider off, he plunged his sword into the wyvern's neck, jumping back off, seemingly about to be splattered on the mountains.  
"Captain!" But Sumia was there, just as Robin had planned. Soon, Chrom was back, in the thick of fighting, with Sumia flying off, picking off weak or less-protected targets.  
"Silly Ylisseans! You dare challenge the Plegians? I'll splatter you across the canyon floor!" A great wyvern flew into view, its' rider wielding a big, heavy axe. He swooped downwards, narrowly missing Chrom. Flying back upwards, he attacked again, but Chrom managed to block, albeit barely. Sweat pouring down Chrom's face; he dodged away, trying to gain an advantage in this brutal fight. Backing up, he made sure the wyvern commander was following him. A speedy hand-axe flew towards him, catching his arm, ripping off a little flesh. Grunting in pain, Chrom avoided another flying axe, before progressing forwards, though very carefully. Rolling under another strike, he scrambled back up, managing to land a small blow on the wyvern. Though, under most circumstances, it wouldn't have done very much, due to the Falchion's ability, it made the creature hiss with pain, temporarily disrupting the Plegian commander. Exploiting this advantage, Chrom followed up with two more strikes, though it was still not enough to kill the wyvern captain.  
"Robin! Help!" Robin nodded, sending forth a bolt of thunder, which forced the Plegian to swerve sideways. Following it up with another beam of lightning, he was successful in causing the wyvern rider back within Chrom's attacking range.

"Let's finish this!" Chrom charged forwards, plunging his Falchion directly into the wyvern's neck, causing it to flail around, throwing the Plegian off. It fell to the ground, crushing the barely-alive wyvern captain, with an audible crunching of bones. No more sound was heard from the rider. Looking around, Chrom could see that most, if not all, the enemy had been routed. Smiling, he raised his sword in the air triumphantly.  
"Shepherds! I thank you for your aid. Though the Plegians have tried to break us, we will not bow to monsters! We will not bow to those who would subjugate us to an eternity of suffering! We will not bow to those who are too caught up in vengeance, who spend too long thinking about revenge and anger, that they cannot see the world change! We will stand up to them, and we will be victorious! For the good of House Ylisse, and for the good of the halidom!"

Gunlord 500 - Thank you for the review. The doc manager had a little glitch, and I only realized this after I posted - evidently I failed to catch all the paragraphs. Hopefully, this chapter should be formatted correctly.


	3. Chapter 3 - Unwanted Respite

Cordelia felt shame rise in her heart, after listening to Chrom's speech. 'Those who are too caught up in vengeance'. That was her. In Breakneck Pass, that was her. She just wanted to avenge her fallen knight-sisters, uphold their legacy... She just wanted to prove to them that she wasn't useless! But look where that got her – she could have messed up everything. If the Shepherds weren't as strong as they were, everything could have gone wrong. All because she couldn't deliver a message, all because she couldn't obey orders. All because she was too caught up in her own problems to give a damn about anybody else's. Because that was supposed to be a good way to preserve the memory of her dead comrades. Cordelia shook her head. She would have to change, fast. Otherwise... Otherwise she'd still be a failure. And she couldn't allow that. She would be the perfect pegasus knight. It would be hard, but she would have to do it. It would be her penance, in a way. Working tirelessly to become the model of courage that the others had given their life for. It would be the price she paid.  
"Cordelia." It was the night after the battle for Breakneck Pass, and Sumia was worried about her friend.  
"Sumia?"  
"The others are talking about you. About what you did."  
"I would expect no less. I fouled up. I could have caused somebody's death."  
"But... Why did you do it?"  
"I wanted vengeance. I wanted to kill the monsters who had murdered my squad. I was angry and bitter, both at the Plegians and myself."  
"At yourself? But why?" Cordelia stopped for a moment, to take a deep breath.  
"Because I wasn't told to flee. I just did so. Abandoning all the ideals I had tried to live up to, I deserted the pegasus knights when they needed me the most. In their darkest hour, I wasn't there. I told myself it was to head to Breakneck Pass, but... It wasn't. Not at first."  
"But you got to Breakneck Pass in the end!"  
"Not fast enough. The first wave of wyverns had already attacked you, and killed..." Cordelia felt her throat drying. "They killed Miriel and Stahl. If I was there... If I was there this wouldn't have happened!"  
"You tried your hardest!"  
"No. No I didn't, and by doing so two Shepherds were killed. Two lives were lost due to my cowardice. My comrades' sacrifice was for nothing. I failed them, Sumia. I let them die. Sure, they weren't kind to me, but they were still people!"  
"They... weren't kind to you?"  
"They called me 'Little Lady Genius'. Because they thought I was trying to be perfect. Thought I was trying to out-perform them."  
"But that's-"  
"I know. But they were still people. They still..." Cordelia felt tears flooding her face, "...still tried... to do what... what was right. And I failed them, damn it! I failed them!" Cordelia collapsed in a ball, water leaking from her eyes. "I failed them all! I let them die. I let them die. I let them die." Cordelia looked up at Sumia, with forlorn eyes. "How do I continue now? What do I do?"  
"It is only when you have fallen to your lowest, that you can finally soar. That's something Captain Phila told me once."  
"But... What if I can't soar? What if I'm destined to remain grounded?"  
"Then you wouldn't have become a pegasus knight. Trust me, Cordelia. You can fly. You'll be alright."  
"Thank... Thank you, Sumia. I'll try."

"Cordelia. Robin wishes to see you now." It was one day after Breakneck Pass, and from the look on Lissa's face, Cordelia knew she would be in trouble. Gulping slightly, she entered the main strategy tent, coming face to face with the Ylissean tactician.  
"Cordelia. Sit down. We have a lot to discuss." Not daring to show her nerves, Cordelia made a seat, looking directly at Robin. "You disobeyed my instructions, seeming to pay them no heed. You rushed directly ahead, into enemy fire, when they weren't distracted. Enemies that could have killed you with one shot. Not only that, but you were needed elsewhere, and, in different circumstances, that could have caused the death of one of the Shepherds. Have you anything to say about this?"  
"...They deserved it. The Plegians had to pay."  
"Look, I know you're upset at what happened to your squad, and it's natural to feel that way. But you have to contain your anger. Otherwise, you're no better than the monsters we're fighting against. Do you understand?"  
"But you weren't there! You didn't see their deaths in your mind! You didn't have to deal with the guilt of leaving your squad!"  
"Relax, Cordelia. There is a time for anger. But not on the battlefield. That is the time for rational thought. You could have been killed, and then what? Would that have helped you achieve anything? No."  
"But I-"  
"That's enough."  
"You weren't-"  
"I said that's enough. I don't want you in our next fight. Give yourself time to calm down. Give yourself time to think things over. Your actions today have proven that you are in no fit state to fight. Do not worry. We will avenge their deaths. In time, you will avenge their deaths. But for now, you need rest."  
"I-"  
"Enough!" Cordelia knew her protestations were pointless. Gloomily, she left the tent. What had she done? She was meant to be trying to become a paragon of knightly virtues! And already she had gotten into an argument! Robin was right. She had to contain her anger. Or she wouldn't ever be allowed to fight. She wouldn't ever be allowed to help Ylisse. And she couldn't have that.

"Cordelia? What did Robin want? I heard shouting, but..." It took Sumia no more than five minutes before rushing to her friend's side.  
"He... He doesn't want me in our next battle."  
"How come?"  
"Because... I need to contain my anger. He's right. I'm a risk. A stupid fool who can't control herself."  
"Don't speak like that! You have a right to be upset – those wyvern riders wiped out your squad! I'll speak to Robin for you."  
"No. Please, Sumia. I know you mean well, but I think he's right."  
"Well, if you're sure..." Cordelia nodded. "Ooh, I know. You might not be able to fight in the next battle, but you can still help! I've got scouting duty, and there's nothing saying I can't have help in that regard."  
"You'd trust me? After what I did?"  
"Sure! You're my friend, Cordelia. I know you'd put others before yourself. It's just in your nature."  
"Alright. When are we going scouting?"  
"In a couple of hours – we need to make sure there are no Plegians roaming around. Make sure those wyverns aren't too close."  
"Thank you, Sumia. Thank you."

"Ready?" Cordelia nodded, glad to be able to do something. Saddling her pegasus, her lance in hand, she set off, feeling the wind brush past her. Taking a deep breath, glad to inhale fresh air, she flew west, back towards Breakneck Pass, where the enemy were most likely to be. When she reached the place, she almost recoiled at the vile stench of putrid gore. But she was getting used to those smells now, and she realized, with a hint of sadness, that soon those smells would have no impact on her. Was losing her innocence really the price she wanted to pay for not being weak anymore? Did she really want to abandon all naivety in order to protect her friends and fellow Ylisseans? Yes. Remembering the pain she felt, she knew that being unable to act like a child was not too heavy a price.  
"Cordelia? Are you alright?" Cordelia just smiled at Sumia. She was alright. She was going to be fine, especially now that she had something to do. Scouting. That was good. That would help save lives. Help protect the Shepherds. Speeding up, she directed her pegasus to follow the winding path of Breakneck Pass, lance ready for combat.  
"Sumia – there!" Cordelia pointed to a group of wyvern riders, who seemed to be heading towards them. Sumia nodded, preparing her own weapon for battle. Dashing forwards, she struck, quickly killing one of the Plegians. Dodging a thrown hand-axe, she replied with her own javelin, though it failed to make much of an impact. Flying higher into the clouds, using them as a cover, she hurtled downwards, her lance cutting clean through another wyvern rider's head. Flying forwards, she quickly swerved to the side, to avoid the path of an oncoming Plegian, before striking at his unprotected back, her weapon finding its' way into the man's heart. Looking ahead, Cordelia could see only two more wyvern riders remaining and smiled. Moving to engage them, she dived under one, quickly wheeling herself behind the confused rider. Ending the Plegian, she turned, readying herself to fight the last one. Waiting for the wyvern to charge at her, she blocked the soldier's strike, though not without great effort, eventually managing to pull back, making the rider lurch forwards, into a defenceless position. Cordelia didn't hesitate in throwing a javelin straight at the man's face.  
"Cordelia, we should probably go back now. What if the others become worried?" But Cordelia shook her head.  
"No, Sumia. What if there are more around? We have to make sure we can't be followed."

"What do you mean?" Robin was not in a happy mood. This was the second time Cordelia had subverted him. Had gone against his word. So he might not have specified that he wanted her out of action, he had hoped that she realized he thought of her as too emotionally unstable at the moment. He had hoped she wouldn't have gone off scouting at the first opportunity. And Sumia should have known better than to offer – just because she was close to Chrom didn't mean that she could go around, interfering in Robin's carefully laid strategies! Did none of them understand that he had to manage lives? Robin sighed. Maybe he was over thinking things. Maybe it would all be alright. But even if both Sumia and Cordelia came back safely, the fact still remained – his orders had been ignored, and that was a problem. He desperately did not want to see either Sumia or Cordelia as corpses, but how could he stop that from happening if they were so willing to do stupid things? Once again, Robin sighed, paying no attention to the person delivering the bad news.  
"Robin? Are you alright?"  
"Lissa, can you tell me something? Are my orders hard to understand? Do I speak really quickly?"  
"No. We can understand you."  
"Then why is Cordelia going off on a scouting mission, when she is not fit for combat? Does she think that her emotions make her weak? Because everybody is entitled to be ruled by their feelings occasionally. Everybody has thoughts, and sometimes they affect our combat ability. Does she not realize that we're not judging her because of that? Does she not understand that she is not useless, just because sometimes she has to take a break from combat? Or is she really that angry against the Plegians? Does she really want them dead that much? Is that what the problem is? Or am I being the tyrant here? Should I send her into combat, when she is foolhardy and reckless – likely to get herself killed? Is that what she wants? Does she want to die?" Robin took a deep breath, his voice feeling the strain from his outburst. "Does she really want to die against the Plegians?"  
"Robin?"  
"Ignore me, Lissa. I'm just... disappointed. It's not your fault. When Cordelia comes back, tell her I want to speak with her. Make sure she knows it's urgent."

Cordelia flew further west, ignoring Sumia's protestations. Though she tried to convince Sumia that it was a matter of the Shepherd's safety, she knew Sumia could see through her lies. In truth, the main reason Cordelia wanted to stay out scouting was to avoid the Shepherds – Robin in particular. Though he hadn't told her specifically not to go scouting, it was clear he thought rest was the best place for her. And, though she knew he was right, she hated feeling useless. And, more than that, she feared what he would say upon her return. She was sure to be heavily berated for defying him, and, for potentially placing Sumia in danger. It was obvious that Robin feared she would do something reckless, and place her comrades in danger. And Cordelia had to admit he was probably right. She wasn't exactly feeling composed. But she didn't care. Though it was wrong, she just wanted to stay away from the Shepherds. In addition, she was still harbouring some anger against the Plegians. Wouldn't it be wise to let it out now, rather then in any major fights, or, indeed, against any of her fellow Ylisseans? Wasn't this the smartest choice? 'No, you stupid fool, the smartest choice would be to let go of your anger – the Plegians who had killed your knight-sisters are dead now. Let the past be, and don't disturb it.' That's what the rational part of her body said. But Cordelia wouldn't be ruled by rational thought. At the moment, she was a creature of instinct, and her instinct was to hunt down the wyverns that were undoubtedly nearby. Hunt them down and kill them. All of them. More anger burning through her body, she flew in search of them.  
"Are you sure about this, Cordelia? It just doesn't seem... right."  
"I know, Sumia. But I have to do this. Maybe then... my fellow pegasus knights will finally be avenged." Cordelia paused for a moment. "You should probably return back. I don't want to drag you into any more trouble. You'll probably catch hell from Robin just for this."  
"I'd rather Robin mad at me then you dead. I'm not leaving. Not until you are."  
"Thank you." Cordelia smiled, her rage subsiding for a moment. "Now come on, we have scouting to do." Gripping the reins tightly, Cordelia flew west, scanning for any threats. It wasn't long before she came across another group of Plegians. Aiming her spear, she threw it, though it failed to hit its' mark.  
"That's the little pegasus knight runaway, isn't it? Well, boys, what are we waiting for? Let's see if she screams louder than the others!" Cordelia glared at the wyvern riders with nothing but pure hatred. How dare they say something like that! They truly had no respect for human life, did they? Anger gripping her heart, and filling her mouth, she prepared to speak.  
"You may think I'm nothing more than a runaway. But I've time to contemplate what I've done. What I've seen. And I've had time to forge my despair. Make it my weapon. Make it the instrument of your utter destruction."  
"Big talk from a coward who couldn't even save their squad mates. But if you think you are truly ready, then who am I to refuse another kill?" Cordelia didn't respond to the wyvern commander, opting instead to attack, quickly flying into the crowd of riders. Killing two of them in the blink of an eye, she pulled backwards, letting the rest of them come to her. With barely-controlled restraint, she threw a spear into another enemy's eye, letting him tumble to the ground below. As another Plegian approached her, she charged forwards, her lance quickly finding its' way through the man's stomach. An axe hurtled towards her, and she ducked in her saddle to avoid it. Another one flying towards her, she tried ducking again, but this axe was aimed lower, and it hit her chest, causing her cry out. Snarling angrily, tears of pain in her eyes, she quickly skewered the offending enemy. A shout sounded from behind her, and she turned, just in time to dodge a heavy axe strike. Avoiding the next blow, she retaliated, vanquishing the wyvern rider.  
"Cordelia, there are reinforcements! We have to pull back now. We can't win this battle."  
"You should listen to your friend, little runaway. Or you might meet the safe fate as your fallen friends."  
"No! Sumia, you can retreat if you wish, but I'm through with running. It... Last time I retreated..." Cordelia faced the host of reinforcements that came from the north, preparing herself for what would be a bloody battle.  
"If you're staying then I will. I'm not letting you die. Not if I can help it."  
"Sumia, please. Flee. I don't want you to die because of me. You're my... my only remaining friend."  
"And that's why I refuse to leave. I'm sorry, Cordelia."  
"Alright. Thank you." Smiling, Cordelia waited for the first wyvern to move towards her, before dodging his attack, replying with her own fatal lance strike. Piercing through another's flesh, she then flew back, allowing the next enemy to approach. As he flew forwards, she dived to the side, before launching a spear into his chest. Two more wyverns appeared to the left of her, and she spun around, though not quick enough to avoid a hand axe from cutting into the armour on her arm. Despite the fact that it didn't stick into her, it still made a small cut, enough to make her snarl in pain. Another axe hurtled towards her, this one hitting her leg, once again grazing her flesh. Charging at the wyvern rider who had hit her, Cordelia quickly killed him, before injuring the other with a speedy javelin to the arm. Stabbing into the man's stomach, she ripped her weapon free, before flying back east, retreating slightly. As three Plegians advanced, Cordelia aimed her spear, catching one in the throat. Stabbing the leftmost wyvern rider, she turned to look at the rightmost Plegian. Her eyes burning with hate, she moved to engage him, but in her haste failed to dodge a heavy axe strike, that winded her, leaving her panting for breath. Barely managing to avoid a potentially-fatal second blow, she pulled backwards, now aware she may have to retreat. Regaining some air in her lungs, she motioned to Sumia to fall back, and pushed her pegasus towards the other side of Breakneck Pass, though she made sure the enemy was following her. Waiting for the Plegians to reach her, she quickly stabbed forwards, catching one of the wyverns in the heart. As another moved forwards, she wheeled downwards, striking the rider in the back.  
"So, the little runaway finally finds some courage, does she? Well, it doesn't matter – soon you're going to regret not living up to your name!" The wyvern captain charged at her, a vicious axe in his hands. Nearly caught off-guard by his speed, Cordelia barely managed to dodge his first strike. But she was completely unprepared for him to follow up so quickly, and the force of the attack nearly knocked her off her pegasus. Knowing that she had to keep away from the Plegian, Cordelia baited him by throwing a spear, knowing it wouldn't really do much damage, but would irritate the captain. As she suspected, the Plegian snarled angrily, swinging his axe around several times, though he failed to hit Cordelia. Taking a deep breath, she avoided another barrage of assaults, before quickly lunging in, then pulling back out again. Though her attack didn't do much, it managed to anger the wyvern rider even more, causing him to scream curses at the top of his lungs. Rage blazing in his eyes, he flew straight towards Cordelia, though only one of his strikes hit. But it was enough to force Cordelia backwards, and make her scream in pain. Biting back tears of anguish, she flew away from her opponent, although not without hurling another spear. Turning sharply, she made sure her enemy was following her. When she was sure he was, she stopped, before swerving to her left. Managing to work in a quick attack, into the wyvern rider's unprotected side, she then flew off, avoiding the Plegian's fury. Launching herself from behind him, she thrust her spear into the back of his neck, ending his rage. Taking a deep breath, Cordelia felt herself being overcome with a wave of exhaustion. She knew she'd have to head back to camp.  
"Come on, Sumia. We need to return. We've been out long enough."


	4. Chapter 4 - A Shared Loss

"So. You disobeyed my orders. Anything to say for yourself, Cordelia?"  
"You told me to stay out of the next battle, Robin. You said nothing about going scouting."  
"I thought it would be obvious I wanted you to avoid any fighting altogether."  
"We were just going scouting."  
"In an area that had known enemy presence."  
"...I'm sorry, Robin. But I can't just stay in this camp. I... I need to fight. I need to have some purpose."  
"You will, Cordelia. In time, you will. But for now, you have to work out your issues. Otherwise, you're nothing more than a hazard. And, I'm sorry for the brutality of my words, but they're the truth. If you cannot learn to manage your anger and your grief, then you will get yourself killed. And none of us want to see you, or anyone else, die."  
"I know, but... Those Plegians... They... They keep reminding me of what happened. They keep taunting me, and I can't take it anymore! I just want them to die. I know that's a horrible thing to say. But I just want them all to die."  
"We all do. We all want those monsters to suffer. But we have to wait. We can't go charging off. Because, if you do... Then..." Robin paused, taking a deep breath, "we'll have to find something else for you to do. Just for a small time."  
"You mean..."  
"I'm sorry, Cordelia. But I have to manage the safety of everyone. And, until you can learn that violence does not solve everything, you are a hazard. I will be talking with Sumia as well about this." Robin smiled. "You're not the only one in trouble."  
"Understood, Robin. Is that all?"  
"Yes. You may depart." When she was sure she was out of earshot of anybody, Cordelia began letting out a stream of curses, mostly aimed at herself. How had she been so stupid? Why had she consented to Sumia's idea? She knew it would have just gotten her into trouble, so why did she do it? Cordelia shook her head. She didn't know why she couldn't just stay out of it. But she couldn't. That much was clear. And now... Now her life as a Shepherd was at risk. If she didn't learn to control herself, then... Then she would no longer be able to help out the Ylisseans. That was what Robin had decreed. And, really, who could blame him? It wasn't fair for her to constantly disrupt his carefully-created tactics. It was dangerous and reckless. It was stupid. That was what Cordelia was being. Utterly stupid. And she'd have to learn. Have to learn how to control herself. Have to learn how not to give in to her primal instincts. Then, she would be able to fight. And only then.

"So, what happened? How did your talk with Cordelia go?" Robin looked at Chrom sadly, answering his question with a simple facial expression.  
"That badly?"  
"She's damaged, Chrom. Those Plegians... They... They damaged her, Chrom. And I don't how to fix it."  
"She just needs time to think. Time to sort out her problems. Then she can help this war effort. Help stop King Gangrel."  
"But I... I don't know if she will give herself time. What if she charges off again? What then? We need to keep her safe, Chrom."  
"She won't. Trust me, Robin. Our pegasus knights are some of the best. Cordelia will follow orders. We just have to trust her."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Sumia trusts her. And, therefore I do."  
"But Sumia..." Chrom glared at Robin and he stopped. "Alright. I have an idea, about how to stop her doing anything reckless, anyway. How much does she know about apothecaries?"

"Ricken. I have an important message from Robin!" Lissa surprised the young mage, causing him to drop his spellbook.  
"Must you always sneak up on me like that? Sheesh..."  
"I'm sorry..."  
"Alright. What does Robin want?"  
"You know Cordelia?"  
"The pegasus knight who disobeyed our tactician? Who arrived late? Who..." Ricken stopped, his voice starting to go raw.  
"You're to help her!"  
"With... what?" His face paled, though Lissa didn't seem to notice.  
"Potion-making. Robin's sure you've been keeping up with your studies, and he knows how eager you are to demonstrate all you've learned, so he thought this would be a good opportunity."  
"He what? But I-I haven't been... keeping up."  
"He also told me that you might say that." Ricken muttered something under his breath.  
"What was that, Ricken?" Lissa smiled teasingly.  
"Nothing. So I suppose this will be a good opportunity to practice in some... arts I have been neglecting. And I suppose Robin predicted I would say that too?"  
"Yup!" Ricken muttered again.

"Sumia..." Robin looked at her with an unreadable expression. "We have much to talk about."  
"Is this about the scouting?"  
"Indeed it is. Look, I know you had the best intentions, and I thank you for staying with Cordelia. But did you not realize that this was breaking my sanction?" She shook her head. "You thought that this would be another way to help? Fair enough. Well, part of me wants to let you off the hook. However, there is something urgent that needs doing, and so this task falls to you - supervise Ricken and Cordelia. They will have some... issues to work out. I want you in there to stop them killing each other." Sumia nodded. "Excellent. Thank you, Sumia. And I know you're trying to do good. Just be careful." She nodded again, and turned to leave.

"Cordelia! Important news from Robin." Cordelia turned to look at Sumia with a worried expression. Her friend had just arrived back from a talk with Robin.  
"What... What is it?"  
"Don't worry. It's nothing bad. He wants you to learn the ways of potion-making from Ricken."  
"But... why?"  
"To give you something to do that doesn't involve fighting. He wants to help you help against the Plegians. The first lesson's tonight."  
"Tonight? Do I not get a say in this?"  
"Do you really want to cross Robin? Besides, I'll be there to supervise!"  
"You? Why?"  
"So you don't end up killing each other, apparently."  
"But why would..." Cordelia's face paled, and she felt the sudden urge to be sick. Ricken was... Miriel's student. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh gods..."  
"Cordelia?" She swallowed, wiping away the traces of her emotion.  
"I'm fine. It's just... Let's get this over with."  
"Well, I guess you better get ready. Hope... nothing happens." Cordelia knew what Sumia meant. 'Hope you don't anger Robin'. But she wasn't going to. She was going to make sure nothing bad happened tonight, make sure there was no way that she could be forced out of the Shepherds. Though potion-making hadn't really occurred to her as a discipline, it would be intriguing, nonetheless. And hopefully it would keep her mind off... other matters.

"Oh. You're here." Ricken looked at Cordelia, with barely-hidden disdain. Sumia was by his side, looking a little timid already.  
"Indeed." Cordelia ignored his hostile tone. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are we... are we going to do?"  
"Robin wants you to learn from me about apothecaries. I'm not sure why exactly, but..." Ricken swallowed his words, not daring to speak his mind.  
"You don't have to be afraid of me. What's happened has happened. Let's concentrate on happier matters, shall we?"  
"It would sure be easier with Miriel around."  
"I'm sorry. I... I arrived late. I tried, and I failed."  
"And for your failure, two people died!"  
"I..." Cordelia took a deep breath. Anger was charging through her, and she tried to calm herself. Sumia cleared her throat, looking at Ricken.  
"That's enough! Ricken, Cordelia suffered as well. Her... Her entire squad was wiped out!"  
"And I suppose that's why she's a bloody psychopath!"  
"She isn't! She just..."  
"I just feel a little anger on the battlefield, that's all. But don't worry. As long as you do nothing to upset me, you'll be fine. Now, shall we continue with this lesson, or will I have to be reminded of Breakneck Pass?" Ricken swallowed.  
"Right... Sorry... So, um, what... What do you know of making potions and vulneraries?"  
"You mix together herbs you find, don't you?"  
"Along with other things, but yes, that is the basic premise. Well, at least that's what I've found so far." Ricken invited Cordelia to follow him. "Come; let me show you what I've been making."

Inside the small apothecary's tent was a various array of differing potions, poisons and ingredients. Racks and racks of vials, filled with various-coloured liquid were sorted by type into shelves.  
"Is this your station?" Ricken just shook his head, pointing to a cluttered area just right of the tidy and sorted workplace. Potions were stacked on top of each other, with seemingly no regard for order or care. Herbs were scattered around carelessly, with some having been ripped apart. Piled up lazily on one shelf were a bunch of disorganized papers, hanging out. On top of them was an ink pot and quill, though the liquid in the glass container had been drained, leaving just dust and a small cobweb inside.  
"So this is your workplace. It's a little… untidy. Would you like some help reorganizing?"  
"Thanks for the offer, but I can do it myself. I'm not a child, you know."  
"Sorry. It was only a suggestion. But in that case, shall we begin?"  
"Sure! First, we need to cover the basics of the apothecary trade. Namely, how to identify potions."  
"Is there an easy way to do this?"  
"Only if you have a book. Still, there are some you should always remember as they can be very helpful." Ricken took a strange liquid. Cordelia looked at it for a moment, before realizing what it was - a vulnerary.

"So, what's next, Robin? What do you recommend we do?"  
"In all honesty, Chrom, we should return to Ylisstol with your sister, after seeking help from the khans. I know we want to end this quickly, but if we are caught unprepared..."  
"Indeed. As well as this, we should consult with Emmeryn. Though her input... may be limited."  
"Though she does not like war, Chrom, that does not mean she doesn't have a sharp mind. You would do well not to underestimate your sister. It may cost you dearly." Chrom just rolled his eyes. "But, yes, I agree with you. We should consult with Lady Emmeryn."  
"And then?"  
"We'll have to formulate a strategy for dealing with Plegia."  
"How many battles will that take? More than one?"  
"I know what you're concerned about, Chrom. Don't worry, I have it all under control. I will judge the mental state of each of the Shepherds, to make sure they are combat-ready. And I will do my utmost to make sure nobody falls in battle again. You have my word, as both a loyal tactician and a friend."  
"Thank you, Robin. You've done a lot for the Shepherds."  
"But not enough."  
"Robin, you don't need to be upset about…"  
"I know. But… They didn't deserve to die, Chrom. They didn't deserve to die."  
"Robin, it wasn't your fault this happened. Nobody could have foreseen that happening."  
"A master tactician would have. A better tactician than me would have."

Soon, the Shepherds came to Regna Ferox. Cordelia hadn't seen anything quite like it. She knew from the stories told at Ylisse that it was a warrior realm, filled with mighty fighters of all types. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, but she knew she need not be afraid. Regna Ferox's khan, in gratitude for Chrom's help, had promised assistance for the Ylisseans in the war against Plegia. The Shepherds were here in order to collect the help, as well as discuss strategy. Well, Robin was, at least. Robin. Cordelia felt sorry for the tactician, being charged with the welfare and safety of the Ylissean forces. It wasn't an easy job. But he was well-suited to the task. He always had plans. Plans that wouldn't let anybody die. It was only when unknown variables came into effect that those plans failed. Variables like... Cordelia felt a tear in her eye. She knew she was one of those unknown variables. A spanner in the works. But... was she justified? Weren't her actions what anybody would do given the circumstances? She expressed her grief, her shame, her guilt into anger. Wasn't that just a human emotion? Yes. It was. She just made a mistake. And she was going to do better. Become better. Cordelia smiled, wiping the tear away. She didn't need to beat herself up over this. Though sacrifices had been made, mistakes had happened, Cordelia knew she was going to learn from them. She wouldn't waste them. She would use this time to make herself better.

Khan Flavia looked at the entrance where Chrom and Robin were coming in from, a smile on her face. Next to her stood the former ruler of Ferox, the East-Khan Basilio, who was in remarkably high spirits for someone facing the people who dethroned him. But, that was Ferox's way. The strongest ruled, and the weaker had to accept that. It was almost idealistic in a sense, that there was a clear hierarchy, but said hierarchy was not down to nobility or birth-right, but on ability. And indeed, most Feroxians looked happy and at ease, taking orders from people who could beat them in a fight. And if they had a problem with their leaders, there was always the option of a challenge.  
"Khan Flavia. Thank you for receiving us." Robin extended his hand, bowing courteously.  
"Haven't I told you to drop the formalities yet?"  
"My apologies. I did not mean to upset you."  
"I cannot tell if you were mocking me just then."  
"I can assure you, my tactician here does not intentionally seek to offend. Probably." Flavia laughed, shaking hands with Chrom as well.  
"Well, I'm sure you can trust him not to disadvantage you in times of political maneuvering. Which brings me onto my question - are you here for Ferox's aid?"  
"Indeed. Gangrel has declared open war on Ylisse. We have fought two major battles against the Plegians. There have been casualties, some more severe than we imagined."  
"Then there is no more time to lose. We must-" Just that moment a messenger burst through the door, a grim look on his face. Clearing his throat, he hurried to where Flavia was.  
"Khan Flavia. Apologies to interrupt, but I bring urgent news from Ylisse." Once again, the messenger cleared his throat. "Ylisstol has fallen. Gangrel has... taken Exalt Emmeryn to Plegia. She is to be publicly executed by noon."  
"What?" A resounding chorus of questions erupted from the room.  
"That... That monster has my sister? That damned tyrant has gone too far. Far too far." Chrom paused for a moment. "We march to Plegia. Immediately."  
"We can't."  
"Khan Flavia, he has my sister! He's going to kill my sister!"  
"I know, Chrom, and I understand your distress. But if you cannot learn to manage your anger and your grief, then you will get yourself killed. We're not telling you to do nothing, just telling you to act wisely. We will save your sister, Chrom. But we will not pay with your life." Robin put his hand on Chrom's shoulder.  
"Trust me, Chrom. I will see us through this. I promise you, I will. It's all going to be fine."  
"Th-Thank you. All of you. Come on, Robin. We need to address the Shepherds. Goodbye, Flavia. We'll be just a minute."

"Shepherds, I bring... tragic news. Ylisstol has fallen. Exalt Emmeryn... has been taken by Gangrel, to be executed by noon. Feroxian scouts inform us this will be taking place at the courtyard of Plegia Castle. I ask you, not just as Shepherds, or loyal servants to Ylisse, but as friends to help me. I ask you to help me rescue my sister, our exalt, and bring her safely back home. I ask you to help me fight against the Plegians and their evil ruler, Mad King Gangrel, so that we may know peace. It will be a difficult undertaking, and I cannot promise anybody's safety. People may die, friendships may be lost. But, if you are willing and ready to lend your aid, then I am willing and ready to accept it. So, Shepherds, I ask - is there anybody would like to volunteer their services?" For a brief, fleeting moment there was silence. Then, a massive wave of shouting erupted from the Ylisseans. Pledges of allegiance, promises of assistance, threats to Plegia... All were heard from the crowd gathered around Chrom. Smiling, he put up his hand, quelling the noise.  
"Thank you, Shepherds. Truly, I am blessed to have such a loyal group of fighters. And now, we will show King Gangrel the price for his cruelty. He will learn that every action has a consequence, and that we will not let him assault the safety of our nation. We will make him pay. I promise you, Shepherds. We will make him pay."

That night, the Shepherds were making their leave towards Plegia. Anticipation filled the air, and the usual noise and mayhem that filled the camp was nowhere to be seen. The grave revelation of Emmeryn's disappearance had sobered even the most childish of soldiers, and everyone was looking towards the future with bleak apprehension. Cordelia felt her fists clench as she remembered what Chrom had relayed to them. Emmeryn... The Plegians were going to execute her. Kill her. Had they no empathy? Were there no lows to which they would not stoop? Cordelia felt anger rising in her throat, and resisted the urge to exhale a stream of insults. She would have to calm down. Not let anger become her master. But how could she do that? Her potion-making sessions with Ricken had been cancelled for today, on account of the day's events. Though she still didn't know if she looked forwards to them or not. Certainly, the actual science was interesting, and it gave Cordelia a certain pride to know that she could create medicine that would save a soldier's life, but it was complicated work. Not to mention Ricken himself often stuttered during teaching, or sometimes forgot his next sentence. Not that Cordelia could blame him. She knew why this was the case - it was because of her. Ricken seemed slightly scared of her after what she had done in Breakneck Pass. After how she had disobeyed Robin's orders, just to unleash her vengeance. Not to mention that he harboured residual resentment towards her. It made sense, really. Despite his protestations, Ricken still sometimes acted like a child - to be expected, of course. Whereas most Shepherds were fully-grown adults, Ricken was still a teenager - it was only natural he acted younger than the rest. And that meant that he was more susceptible to certain emotions - fear and awe. So Cordelia couldn't really fault him for that. Though she was trying to act kinder to him, she knew it would take more than one session for that to have an impact. Until then, Cordelia knew she would just have to cope with it. And she would have to not let anger take control of her again.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Lost Borders

Chapter 5: The Lost Borders

"Cordelia. Ricken. I need a word with you both." They both looked at Robin, who had a serious expression on his face. It had been a hard journey to Plegia, especially after Chrom's revelation, and they were worried that this had flared Robin's temper. "As you know, I have had my doubts about you fighting in this battle. And as I do not want your anger overwhelming you, I am afraid I have to ask you to not fight." There was a brief period of silence. "However, I do not want you idle. Nor do I want you stuck at Ylisse, with nothing to do. There have been issues in Regna Ferox. I want you to investigate. We will be leaving in three days. I want you gone by then." He cast his gaze at them, before turning, leaving without another word. In fact there was nothing else spoken then, as after a few minutes of the silence, Cordelia moved as well, heading back towards her tent, her expression trying desperately to mask the expected disappointment on her face. She wasn't sure what worried her more. Missing the chance to wreak revenge on the Plegians, or having to travel with a companion who hated her. Looking around for anything that she would need to pack, she took a few breaths. Though she didn't want to do what Robin said, she recognised that it would be needed, and that it would be most probably beneficial for her. Picking up her bag of supplies, which contained vulneraries and a few extra spearheads and shafts, she emerged back into the outside. What did she do now? She couldn't leave without Ricken. Closing her eyes, she took a mouthful of air. It was an unavoidable complication that she would have to deal with. She just prayed that they could reconcile their differences, but she was worried that would be impossible with what had happened. Taking a step forwards, she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, even though she did not have any battle ahead of her.

Cordelia found Ricken wandering around the camp, as if he were some kind of lost sheep that had been accidentally let out of the gate. He looked at her with what seemed not to be hatred or fear, but something else. It was definitely not him indicating he was pleased to see her however.  
"What do you want? We're going to have to travel together soon enough. You'll have enough of me by then." He broke eye contact with her, hiding his face away, as if her gaze was poison.  
"I wanted to know when you wanted to leave." Her tone was level - not welcoming, but not venom either. "It will be a long journey."  
"Do you think I don't know that? I'm not a child, you know."  
"I wasn't implying that."  
"Then what were you implying?"  
"Nothing." She had to fight to control her anger. "I just wanted to see if you think we should wait one more day, or if we should leave now."  
"Now? Why leave now? Robin doesn't want us gone for a few days. Unless you're trying to sneak into combat by getting there quickly." She reacted with a little surprise at that. Whilst it was true thoughts like that had circulated her head when Robin had told her his decree, she knew that those sorts of ideas would be what kicked her out of the Shepherds. Besides, it was ridiculous to believe that she could reach Regna Ferox, investigate the sources of trouble, and manage to come back to Plegia all in a short space of time, especially as she would not be able to use her pegasus.  
"That would be impossible, even if we left right away, and moved as quickly as possible. I just wanted to go, as there's no point in staying."  
"Maybe for you. But there's still a point for me. I still have to..." Ricken stopped, swallowing his words. "Me and Maribelle. We're mourning." He gave her a glare, indicating that he still held her responsible for what happened. She couldn't reply to what he had said, instead nodding, trying to show her understanding. As she heard him mutter something, she knew that she had failed.  
"I'm sorry." The words were inaudible, but they had been said, nonetheless. She just hoped that she could raise her voice one day.

That night, Cordelia went to go and learn more about being an apothecary from Ricken, but when she reached his tent, she found him talking to Lissa. Not really wanting to eavesdrop, especially not after the first few words that she heard turned out to be complaints about her, she withdrew, waiting until she saw Lissa exit. By this time it was becoming late, and she felt a wave of fatigue consume her. How long had it been since she'd had a peaceful sleep? She doubted she'd had one since Breakneck Pass. But Robin had given her a task, and she wasn't going to succumb to her weaknesses by fleeing to her bed. Clearing her throat, she spoke.  
"Ricken?"  
"Oh, you. How long have you been here?"  
"I didn't hear most of what you were saying. I didn't want to." She chose her tone carefully to try and make her point that she was disappointed he would talk about her like that. He seemed to either not notice or not care about what she was implying.  
"Well, it's too late for our lessons. I'm sorry, but I think it would be best if we both retired for the night. Especially if we have journeys ahead of us." She nodded, not giving away what she thought.  
"Goodnight, Ricken." He hesitated but answered back.  
"Goodnight, Cordelia." She smiled secretly at that. At least he was talking to her, and she was talking to him. It wasn't much of a step, but it was a step nonetheless. And she was glad that it was Ricken who decided not to move forwards with the lessons. It was selfish of her, but she desperately wanted to stay on Robin's good side as much as possible from now on. Moving towards her tent, she let out a long yawn, rubbing her eyes. Ricken was right. She would need to be rested for the long travels ahead of her. Collapsing onto the ground, she sighed as she closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come to her without any kind of nightmares or disturbances.

The next day, Cordelia woke, possibly less rested than she had been the night before. Once again, her brain antagonised her with dreams of what had happened at Breakneck Pass, and once again, she had responded by tossing and turning, unable to fall to the clutches of sleep. Part of her wanted to ask somebody to make her a sleeping potion, but she wasn't sure if that was possible, or if anyone would do that for her. She supposed she could try to win Ricken over, but she didn't know how long he would hate her for. Not that he didn't have a reason to. Sighing as she tried to cut out those thoughts from her mind, she left her tent, moving through the camp, possibly in search of someone subconsciously. Her tired, sore eyes darted around, though they lacked the will to focus hard. Managing to not stumble over the sands beneath her, she stretched a little. Did she go to visit her pegasus who was currently being looked after by Sumia? It's not like she would she would see her steed until she returned from her mission, as Ricken wouldn't be able to ride it. But did she want to see Sumia? She took a deep breath, moving towards the small, hastily-constructed wooden building where the pegasi and horses were kept. Though she didn't want to worry her friend, it was far too late for that. Better to tell Sumia where she was going than to disappear, and leave Robin to do the explaining. Looking around for where her fellow pegasus knight was, she waved as soon as she found her target. This gesture went unnoticed, and she couldn't help but smile as she called out, her voice managing to alert Sumia.  
"Oh! Cordelia. Your pegasus is fine, if you're wondering."  
"Thanks. But I'm sure you know that's not why I came here."  
"Is this to do with something Robin's said to you?"  
"Partially. He wants me to do some errands in Regna Ferox. With Ricken."  
"So I guess you won't be needing your pegasus." She gave a small smile. "When will you be back?"  
"It could be days. Or weeks. I'm kind of scared, Sumia." Cordelia hadn't admitted this, not even to herself, but it was true. She was scared. Of what she might end up doing if pushed, especially if she thought she wouldn't be judged for her actions. She had nearly abandoned the Shepherds once, and had abandoned her comrades, because she hadn't had to deal with others' eyes on her. What would she do if the situation came again? "I'm scared about not being able to control myself. I didn't control myself when we went scouting, and I nearly got us both killed."  
"No. That was my fault."  
"Don't say that!" She winced slightly as Sumia recoiled at the loudness of her words. "I'm sorry for my outburst but you can't blame everything on yourself."  
"Then you should heed your own advice." There was silence, as Cordelia refused to reply to that comment. "Just be safe out there. And if Ricken says anything to you, ignore it. He's young and needs some way to release his anger."  
"I know." The red-headed woman's words were barely audible. "I know."

Cordelia felt one simple tear flow down her face as she left Sumia and the pegasi. Why had she even gone there in the first place? To inform. Maybe what Robin wanted from her was the best course of action. After all, it meant that nobody could hurt her. She'd be able to take whatever abuse Ricken hurled at her, if he did even fling words at her. Her eyes flicked up to the sky, and not for the first time, she wished she was flying, soaring through the air, a breeze blowing lightly in her face. Shaking her head, she tried to wean herself off her pity. It would do her no good. Heading to her tent, she wondered what she would do now. There wasn't really anyone else she wanted to speak to. She could have words with Robin, but he was likely conversing with Chrom, and the thought of speaking to the prince made her feel funny inside. A hot flush came to her cheeks as she found his image crept into her mind, and she quickly exorcised herself. No good to dream about fantasies of any kind. She'd learned that. Chrom would be forever forbidden to her, and as such she wanted not to have to go near him. Retiring to her dwelling, she hummed a little tune to distract herself. Though she didn't know when Ricken would be ready to leave, it was likely he would want a few more days if he was mourning. And it wouldn't be right to stop him from doing that. She'd taken friends from him. She wasn't going to take his right to grieve as well. Grieving. She wondered if she was going to grieve at all. It felt like something she would have to do. A memorial to remember those lost to the Plegians. Would that help her with her anger? She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. It was possilbe. If that was the key to stopping herself from losing control, then it would have to be done. She'd speak to Robin when she returned about it.

Ricken smiled at Maribelle, thanking her for her time. She'd been talking to him, acting as a sort of councillor, he supposed, to help him cope with the loss of his mentor, Miriel. As he watched her leave, he stretched, getting ready for the night's work. This time he would continue his lessons with Cordelia as long as it wasn't too late. Maribelle had been explaining to him how he needed to try and cope with the pegasus knight, and he knew himself he shouldn't blame her. But it was easier than blaming the real source of the problems. Looking outside of his tent to check the time, he saw that it was starting to become night. Soon, he'd have to speak with Cordelia. He swallowed nerves that came about from worrying that he'd make some kind of error, and wind up on the pegasus knight's bad side. He doubted he could afford that. Getting everything he would prepared – arranging his herbs into a less disorganised mess and separating the equipment from each other, he thought about the offer Cordelia had made him before. About helping him with his organisation. Certainly it was an option. But did he really want to admit defeat? No. He didn't need her help. He was to teach her. How could he do that when she was assisting him? Carefully arranging everything as fast as he could, he made sure not to accidentally break or damage anything. He didn't need Cordelia's help. As he was independently storing books on his shelf, he heard a noise from outside. It was her. There was no doubt about that.  
"Come in." He wanted some more time to get everything ready, but that wasn't an option now. "Sorry about the mess." There wasn't too much of it now, but his station still looked like it could do with a good dust over. As well as this, there were a few broken shards of glass hastily swept up into corners near the shelf, upon which both books and webs sat.  
"It's fine." He could see that she was trying very hard not to offer her assistance.  
"Well, shall we continue from where we left off? I'll just test you to see if you can remember your various herbs." Her expression scared him a little, as if she was offended that he thought she couldn't, but it disappeared as soon as it came and he was left wondering if he had hallucinated it. "Do you know what this is?" He picked out a long thin root that coiled slightly.  
"Loreroot. It has medicinal properties." Ricken slightly smiled at her as he nodded his head. They continued like this for just under half an hour, before he stopped them.  
"You can definitely recall your ingredients. That's good. Let me show you what I've been making." He had a little salve that had a green liquid sitting in it. "It's something Miriel used to make. A salve that relaxes pain, especially muscular strain. I don't think I can make it as well, however, but..." He stopped. "I can try to do as well as she did. Would you like to try one?" She nodding, thanking him as he passed her the potion. "Use it when you're in pain."  
"I will. Thank you, Ricken." Cordelia's voice was a littler quieter than usual, and she had a hint of sadness in her eyes that the mage didn't pick up on. In fact, the guilt that she felt from Ricken's earlier comment meant that twenty minutes later, she announced that she was too tired to continue, so that she could hide in her tent again. He nodded at her, although she doubted that he had realised that she was upset. Leaving, she chuckled sadly to herself.

The next day, Cordelia was roused by a voice whispering to her outside of her tent. She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes as she looked around, slightly surprised and startled. As she started to drift off back into sleep, the sound became louder, disturbing her and forcing her to take notice of it. She let out a yawn, before stretching. Replying that she was coming, she changed into combat armour, her lance in hand. As she left her tent, she found that Lissa was the one who called to her, looking as happy as ever, as if the weight of the terrors of war were not pressing down on her. Smiling at the young princess, she raised an inquiring eyebrow so that Lissa would tell her why she was needed.  
"Ricken. He wants to see you."  
"Do you know what for?" Lissa just smiled at her, and she sighed. "Are you going to tell me?"  
"It's about leaving. He's thinking about setting off soon. But of course he needs you to agree to this."  
"Well, I wanted to leave a few days ago. Almost as soon as Robin told me what he wanted. I'll go straight away. Where is he?"  
"In his tent. I think he's packing." She nodded at Lissa, quickening her pace towards where Ricken would be. This was it. It was finally time for her to head off, and complete what she had to do. Though part of her was nervous, especially at the thought of having only Ricken to control her, and nobody else to stop her snapping at him, she forced her fears to dissipate, focusing her mind to the future.

Once Cordelia had reached Ricken, she greeted him with a smile, trying not to show that she was a little apprehensive of the future. Not wanting to speak first, she waited for him to clear his throat.  
"So Lissa told you what I wanted?" She nodded. "I guess you're happy about that. Are you ready? I need only about half an hour more." She swallowed, her throat suddenly overcome with a horrible constriction, which made her want to flee, and to hide.  
"I don't need much."  
"That's good. Well, I'll meet you back here in a few hours then." He smiled tentatively, and she nodded again, turning to flee his company. She cursed herself inside. How stupid had she looked? But did it matter? She laughed to herself. What a mess she was. Ricken was trying to build bridges, and she was more interested in fleeing than in helping him. But she supposed that was all she was good for. Running. All of a sudden, as if all the life within her and willingness to continue had disappeared into the air, she collapsed on the ground, tears falling down her face, hitting the floor as lightly as feathers. She remained crippled, broken on the ground for minutes, perhaps nearing an hour before she could finally gather the courage to force herself to stand up again, wiping the last of her tears from her red eyes.

Cordelia made sure she had everything that she needed - mainly what supplies she had brought with her to Plegia. Though it wasn't much, she trusted that if her stock was running out, she would be able to trade at nearby villages, in exchange for favours. There was nothing else she could have taken with her, as she didn't have much space - she usually kept spare supplies in her pegasus' saddlebags. A big, heavy bag on her back, and a small satchel around her waist, she set off, heading for where she knew Ricken would be. It didn't take her long to find the young mage. He too was ready, and upon seeing her, he managed a tentative smile. She didn't reveal to him her meltdown, instead just returning his gesture, a silent scared voice quiet inside.  
"Well then. I guess we should be off." Cordelia nodded, faking a smile.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Trickster's Pledge

Chapter 6: The Trickster's Pledge

They walked in silence, the heat of the blistering sun boiling through their clothing and their armour. Their feet were sore, the harsh texture of the sand managing to filter in through their shoes in order to start rubbing away at their raw, naked, unprotected skin. A constant buzzing of flies crawled into their ears, as the sensation of itchiness ravaged their bodies, in an attempt to drive them mad. Cordelia reached into one of her bags and pulled out a flask of water, unable to take the angry dryness in her throat for any longer. Being very careful not to consume too much, she tried to slake her thirst, however, it wouldn't diminish, and she stored her container away again, defeated. Feeling like she was about to collapse, she took a deep breath, nearly falling over the shifting sands beneath her. Stumbling forwards, she recovered, though her head was bursting with agony due to the temperature. However, she didn't complain, or make a noise, instead just trying to continue with her journey.

Eventually, they made it out of Plegia, to the greener borders of Ylisse. A smile stretched across Cordelia's face as she bent down to touch the Ylissean soil. Ricken shot her a look, but she ignored him as best she could, focusing on the fact she was finally out of the desert. Glancing one last time at the sands behind her, she remembered what Plegia had done to her, and gripped her lance, which she carried around, in case of an ambush. Breathing deeply, she took in a lungful of Ylissean air. Though she could still feel heat on her body, its' intensity had faded since being in the heart of Plegia. And what seemed to be a perpetually burning sky had now been replaced by the familiar and welcome sight of grey clouds.  
"You know, we haven't been in Plegia that long." She glanced at Ricken, who was staring at her with bored eyes.  
"It's just nice to be away from that place." She spoke with a hint of steel in her voice, which made Ricken step away from her a little. "Something about it just fills me with anger." Ricken didn't reply, and she sighed. "Let's keep going." Despite her companion's comments, she still felt a relief that she wasn't burning up inside. Her skin was still hurt, possibly scarred, and the milder heat was still causing pain, but she supposed the joy of making it back home had a soothing impact. Moving forwards, following a Ylissean road that she knew, she kept looking up, putting Plegia behind her.

The Longfort. Even though she had been here before, Cordelia still was taken aback by the size of it. Feroxi guards manned it, keeping an eye out on any intruders daring to enter the Feroxi borders. Trying to project an aura of confidence, she marched up to the gate, readying herself for when she was stopped.  
"Who are you? What business do you have in these lands?"  
"I am Cordelia. This is Ricken." She tried not to lose her voice to fear. "We have been sent by the Shepherds to investigate troubles in Regna Ferox."  
"Do they not need you in Plegia?" Cordelia felt a single tear slip down her face.  
"No. We are needed here. Whilst Chrom is on our enemy's doorstep, he does not want strife controlling Feroxian lands. Or any other lands."  
"Tell me more about these troubles."  
"I am afraid I have not been told anything myself. Only that they're in Regna Ferox."  
"You don't sound very convincing. Though I want to let you in, I need to be able to trust you. We have a lot of bandits in Regna Ferox."  
"I'm a pegasus knight. Though my pegasus isn't here, you can see I'm dressed in Ylissean armour. Would a bandit be able to get a hold of that?" The sentry paused for a moment.  
"I guess not. Come in. But any word of trouble, and the Khan will kick you out. Most likely lethally." Cordelia nodded.  
"Thank you."

The lands of Regna Ferox were harsh and unforgiving, being a cold, mountainous region. Though Cordelia didn't hate it quite as much as she did the desert, she found it difficult to stumble through the sloping snow that made up most of the landscape. Still, she kept on moving, watching out for any signs of trouble. Despite the fact that the frost was biting into her body, her armour seemingly useless against it, she forced herself to move forwards. However, many times she looked behind her to see Ricken, plodding along, a distance away, and she felt a slight surge of anger that he didn't seem to be trying to move quickly. Keeping it bottled in her stomach, she waited for him, trying to travel at his pace. But as she did this, her resentment rose - she didn't want to waste forever in this frigid country. Trying not to let this show, she kept going, her mind quickly growing tired of the seemingly endless expanses of snowed-over grassland. Occasionally, white would fall from the sky, sometimes landing on her face, dampening her already sour mood. At other times, she'd hear something, and look around, getting ready to fight, in case of bandits or wolves, only to realise that the noise was a rabbit or some other harmless animal.

After a week exploring the countryside of Regna Ferox, coming across no towns and no signs of civilization, Cordelia was beginning to become very frustrated. It didn't help that Ricken seemed to be making zero effort to keep up with her – in fact, over the week, it seemed like he'd been slowing down, and she was wondering whether it was on purpose. She tried to attribute it to his youth, not his malice, but it was difficult for her. She wasn't able to understand why he wasn't trying to keep going as fast as her, and she worried that perhaps he just didn't care about their mission. Neither of them talked to each other much, if at all, although she wasn't too bothered about this, as it let her reflect on recent events, as depressing as they were. In fact, her only real company in the journey through Regna Ferox was her memories of training to be a pegasus knight. They were a little comforting, although each one of them was tinged with its' own brand of regret, but they almost helped her keep her mind of the stress that was building up inside her. She didn't want to snap at Ricken, but she felt herself coming far too close far too many times. She found it hard to keep her anger inside of her, and this worried her - which led to more and more stress building up on top of her. All she could do was try not to unleash it.

A village, on the horizon, with little dots around it. Cordelia could see it coming into view. She didn't know if this was where she needed to go, but after a week of aimless wandering, with food supplies starting to run low, she needed somewhere with actual humans. She tried to increase her pace, but soon stopped that when she realised that Ricken was still plodding behind her. Sighing and cursing him under her breath, she felt yet another chill go down her spine. It was so cold. Perhaps the village would have warmer clothing that she could purchase. She turned around to see Ricken still behind her, and she let out an audible sigh that he seemed to pick up on, giving her an angry look.  
"What?" He asked, after a minute of her silence.  
"There's a village less than ten minutes away. One would think you'd have a little more energy."  
"Are you saying I'm slow?" She didn't answer that, instead just looking at him. "Because it's not my fault."  
"I'm not even a good runner. But you're still behind me." Ricken didn't reply to that accusation. "Whatever. Let's just keep moving. We're nearly there." The silence between them seemed to be angrier now, as if they were silent not just because they had nothing to talk about, but because they actively did not want to talk to each other. It slightly hurt Cordelia's ears, as if it were a violent buzzing, but it made no discernible, tangible noise. She didn't really understand, but she kept going, not even giving Ricken another glance.

When Cordelia neared the village, she didn't receive the hospitality she was hoping her - and she cursed herself for not seeing this earlier. The dots weren't the people of the village as she had presumed. They were bandits. Grabbing her lance, she turned to Ricken, gruffly commanding him to ready his spell tome. She wasn't quite sure what her best course of action would be at this point. Certainly, if she charged into the fray, she would most likely be hacked to pieces, especially due to her relative inexperience in grounded combat. But she couldn't leave the village to be sacked and burned.  
"What do we do?" Ricken whispered to her.  
"We have to fight. We can't just abandon the people here. If nothing else, we can cause a distraction whilst they evacuate." He nodded at her, although she wasn't sure if he resented taking her orders or not. Looking for any opportunities to attack, she moved quietly, so as not to draw any attention to herself. The bandits didn't seem to be watching their rear much, and as such she used this to her advantage, pulling out a javelin, aiming it as best she could. It flew, straight into the brain of one of the ruffians. That attack revealed her presence, but she took that, quickly equipping herself with her lance, so she could block an axe strike. Grunting slightly, trying not to lose her ground, she pushed back, toppling over her aggressor. Another enemy came rushing at her, and it was all she could to raise her weapon in order to stop herself from being hit. The force of the impact made them both stumble back a little, but she managed to come to her senses first, stabbing into his belly, thrusting her lance upwards. Ripping out her bloody spear, she stepped backwards, quickly looking out to see if there were any more foes. To her relief, it seemed like she had a reprieve - at least, for now.

Ricken readied a gust of wind in his hand, looking around in case there were more enemies to fight. A few more bandits had broken off from the main group, getting ready to attack. Stepping backwards, a little tinge of fear shooting through his throat, he nevertheless swallowed his anxiety as best he could, firing out the blast of air from his hand, slicing through the first ruffian coming towards him. To his right was Cordelia, who was catching her breath slightly, and he felt some panic knowing how close he was to her - it wasn't like he thought she'd hurt him intentionally, but he'd heard about her anger. Stepping to the side slightly under the pretense of avoiding another enemy that was heading towards him, he quickly pulled out another page from his tome, launching a spell swirling outwards. A throwing axe came hurtling at him, and he made to dodge, although it slightly grazed his shoulder. Grunting a little, he nevertheless was able to send out a counter-attack which cut through his opponent - enough so that a thrown javelin from his companion was enough to finish the bandit off. Quickly scanning around, he could see that there were another two and as such, he gathered more wind in his hand, using it to halt their advance, long enough so that Cordelia could prepare to fight. He sent a spell over her head, letting it come down on the top of his enemies. A series of strikes from Cordelia finished them off, and she turned to him.  
"I fear that was only the reserve guard. The weaker ones. If you look, you can more of them. And I think I can see combat."

Cordelia moved forwards, lance in hand. Her foes seemed to be focused on attacking the village, but she could see that a few of them were turning, getting ready to face her. She could only hope that this dividing tactic was a good thing. Raising her lance to fight, she hoped that her presence here was drawing pressure of the village. An axe came hurtling towards her, and she prepared to block it, however, the impact was stronger than expected, and it pushed her back, nearly toppling her over. Managing to step out of the way of the next blow, she quickly struck into the bandit's stomach, drawing blood. Using this to her advantage, she dashed forwards, eager to score a killing blow - however, she was rejected by a hefty strike. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated hard, able to avoid being hit by the next attack, this allowing her to finish off her opponent with a brutal stab to the throat. She was slightly winded now; however, she forced herself to keep moving forwards, getting ready to defend herself against the two enemies that were stepping menacingly towards her. As the first one let out a growl, rushing her, she stood her ground, absorbing the weight of his blow, although this shook her slightly, pushing her backwards. Losing more ground, she narrowly avoided a vicious follow-up, however, she was not able to capitalise on it. Instead, she turned, getting ready to fend off the second barbarian, who was coming at her quickly, his axe raised above his head. Letting her weapon meet his, she pushed as hard as she could, managing to stop him from cutting her apart. She heard a noise behind her, and risked a quick look. She smiled. Quickly diving forwards, taking the first of the bandits by surprise, she distracted him long enough for a burst of wind to strike through him, rendering him dead. This sudden attack shocked the second attacker as well, who was quickly dispatched by a wave of fierce air, slicing him and sending him to the floor, allowing for Cordelia to finish him off with a brutal lance stab through the head.

"There." Cordelia pointed at a figure that was effortlessly dispatching waves of bandits. "That's why there wasn't so many of them." She ventured forwards, getting ready to assist the mysterious fighter, and Ricken followed her, a few steps behind. A few more of the foes broke off from the main group, but they were dispatched with little trouble - Cordelia only receiving a slight slash on her arm, which was mostly absorbed by her armour. Holding a javelin in her hand, she concentrated hard, letting it loose, careful only to hit one of the bandits. Defending herself as she moved forwards, she ducked under a throwing axe, a burst of wind taking out her attacker. Launching another throwing spear, she gathered a grim satisfaction as she saw it lodge itself into the neck of her target. From the corner of her eye, she could see the figure still fighting, and she could see more and more of the ruffians dying or breaking off the fight - their numbers were dwindling. Fast. Two twin arcs of wind came from behind her, slicing into the body of yet another barbarian, dropping him to the floor. Grabbing another javelin, she threw it, killing another of the ruffians. She wasn't far from reaching the figure now. And there weren't many more foes left to kill.

It didn't take long for Cordelia to reach the figure – who turned out to be a red-headed woman, a sword in her hand. She smiled at the pegasus knight, cutting down one of the last enemies whilst doing so, as if they were no more than a gnat to be swatted.  
"Who are you?" Cordelia's tone wasn't harsh, merely curious.  
"Just a merchant, of a sort. The name's Anna."  
"Just a merchant?"  
"Like I said. Of a sort. Folks call me the 'Secret Seller'. Tell you what, next time we meet, if we meet, I'll cut you a deal." She paused for a minute. "Say, are you under obedience to anyone?"  
"I'm a Shepherd. Under service to the exalt Chrom."  
"Well, tell him he's got the discount as well. How's that sound?" Cordelia nodded at her.  
"Thank you, Secret Seller."  
"Just call me Anna. Oh by the way, sweetheart, how did you find me?"  
"We were told there were bandit troubles in Regna Ferox. I guess it was just a lucky coincidence you happened to be here as well."  
"Hmm... I don't know if this is end of this."  
"Do you require any more assistance?" Anna shook her head.  
"Us merchants have contacts, I suppose you'd call them. And if you need assistance, sweetie, ask for the 'Secret Seller'."  
"Thank you." Anna just winked, smiling, and with that the conversation was over.

Cordelia gave Ricken a smile. They were walking back through the Feroxian lands, not sure whether they had solved the problem that Robin had told them to. Part of Cordelia wanted this to be over, so that she could head back to Plegia, and help in the fight. But she was worried about what would happen there, and she was scared that she could lose control if she went back too soon. And if she returned having not done what she asked, Robin would most likely punish her - it would be far, far better for her to stay in Regna Ferox for now, just in case. Besides, if Anna was right, there would be more trouble happening, and if so, she wanted to help. At least here, she could do some good. Do something right, for once. She turned to Ricken again, who seemed tired - as a result of the battle, she supposed. It'd been a day since the fight, but they'd not really had much sleep since then. They'd both deemed it too risky, with the possible threat of more bandits around.  
"Cordelia, when do you think we'll be able to stop? I'm sorry, but..."  
"Don't worry, Ricken. I'm tired too. That battle was intense."  
"Who do you think Anna is? She's mysterious. Can we trust her?"  
"Yes. I think we can." She stretched, slightly wincing from the pain that shot through her body. "Or at least, I hope that we can." Looking around, she moved her muscles again, trying to overcome the strain that was eating into them. Still unable to fight through the torment that was filling her, she felt one little tear fall down her cheek. Forcing herself down on the floor, she smiled at Ricken. "Hopefully, we'll stop hurting in the morning."

Cordelia looked up to the sky, the cold on her back not helping with her sleep. She shivered slightly, turning over, looking at Ricken, who seemed to be unconscious. Closing her eyes again, she felt a single tear leak down her face and she wiped it away, unsure of how its' presence came about. Shutting her eyes once more, she curled her arms around her chest, trying to keep the heat inside of herself. The dark, empty natural ceiling above her seemed to hold no warmth for her, instead the stars just shining a dim light on areas far away, out of her reach. She sighed silently, trying to exhale the worries in her mind. She had no idea really what she was doing, or where she would have to go, but she knew that now she had to make sure Ricken didn't die. It wasn't that she liked him, not particularly, but there was something inside her telling her that if she didn't protect him, that if he did die in her care, then she would have failed. And she couldn't fail again. Clenching her fists, she shook off the horrible memories of that day. Curling up into a ball she let another tear fall down her. She never wanted to fail again. Never wanted that feeling inside of her. She lay weeping beneath the uncaring moon, the fear of failure filling her bones to the brim. She lay with tears stuck on her face beneath the unfeeling sky, the memories of her failure crushing her body. Eventually, after about an hour she did managed to drift off, but it wasn't for long - Ricken woke her up, informing her that it was time to set off. She nodded at him, not indicating how badly the night had gone, instead just walking with him in silence, to their next destination.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Dead Harvest

Chapter 7 – A Dead Harvest

Cordelia and Ricken walked along a road they had managed to find in the Feroxian wilderness, weariness and homesickness filling both of their hearts, rendering any ideas or threats of conversation null. It was horribly cold; an almost unwelcome contrast from the sweltering heat of Plegia, and with the inevitable dropping of the sun came the worry of the even colder night. A swirling of miserably gray clouds loomed overcast above them, potentially holding rain or even worse, snow. Though the path itself was free of many noticeable signs of the frost, the scarce grasslands around them were unfortunately affected by the bitter cold, the normally green layer replaced by a smooth white blanket. Though there weren't many trees, the ones there were had bare branches, no type of foliage on them. There was a distinct lack of natural noise, instead just mostly being silence punctuated with heavy footfalls. It would be almost a scene from a painting, if not for the movement of the two Ylissean travelers, who walked with purpose, albeit with less speed than they had done, owing to the fatigue from recent events.

Days later, and Cordelia and Ricken were still walking. They'd managed to acquire some supplies from the village that they'd helped to save, although Cordelia worried that they'd run out soon. She guessed they had maybe two weeks worth left, perhaps a little left, and although she knew that was quite a sizable amount, she was also painfully aware that it would have to last them the trip back to Plegia - a trip that she was mostly definitely dreading. Even though the frost was cruel here, her armour protected her against the worst. But there would be nothing to help her in Plegia. She sighed, forcing herself to keep going, trying to stay in the present, instead of letting her mind drift off to dark futures. Glancing at Ricken, she took a small comfort in the fact that at least he hadn't been hurt yet under her care. Though the time they had traveled together still had not endeared him to her, she could at least tolerate his company more now - he didn't fill her with an empty feeling of regret much any more. They hadn't discussed much in their time together, but even this didn't phase her. She was just glad she wasn't in constant argument with him. The journey was hard enough without that. She sighed again, aware that she was heading dangerously close to despair. If she didn't keep herself sane and healthy in mind, she would never find home again. Wiping a strange tear from her face, she focused on the path in front of her. Surely it wouldn't be long until she found something of interest, would it?

Another few days passed. Now Cordelia was seriously beginning to develop an almost feverish thirst for home, her body weary of trying to fight off the constant attack by the frigid air, which seemed almost determined to break her. And she was feeling much better about the situation than her companion, who was starting to develop aching pains all through his body, so much so that he eventually stopped.  
"Ricken. We need to keep moving."  
"Why? We're not going to find anything here."  
"Ricken..." Without really realising, Cordelia had taken on a condescending tone, as if she were speaking to someone below her.  
"I'm not being childish here. I really think we have to leave."  
"And if you're wrong? You want to take the blame?" Ricken didn't seem to be able to come up with a response to that, other than the angry glare of steel in his eyes. "We have to keep going."  
"Our supplies are running out, aren't they?" She froze. "But do you even care? You're desperate to prove yourself! Desperate to pretend you're capable of doing something other than running." She froze. For all of three seconds, before she threw a punch. It missed, but the motion was clear, and Ricken swallowed slightly. "Don't threaten me. You've killed two of us."  
"...Why are you saying these things?" Cordelia's voice was full of tears. "I don't..."  
"Because I can't trust you." Ricken also had tears seemingly in his throat. He was shaking slightly, and she didn't know if it was from anger or fear. "I don't want you pushing me so hard. You might be trying to be make up for what you've done, but I don't want to die here, starving and freezing."  
"...I won't let you die. But at the same time, I won't run and hide. And I don't expect you to want to either." Cordelia shook her head. "I doubt you'll understand me, Ricken. But we have to keep going, whether you want to or not. It's our duty. It's part of being in the Shepherds."

That incident shook Cordelia. She was barely able to sleep that night. Her mind was a mess, and she was unable to figure out if what she did was right or not. Wrapping her arms around herself, as if they were a blanket, she felt a tear fall down her face as she looked at Ricken, who seemed to be asleep. Was it her fault or was it his? It would be easier to fully blame him, she knew that, but she just couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. Laughing softly at her stupidity, she suddenly felt a familiar surge of anger flow through her. Was she going to do this to everyone? Was she going to push everyone away? Sumia immediately came into her mind, and she wondered if she was going to reject her, too. She shook her head softly. Though she wanted to make amends, really badly, she was scared that she would worsen the situation. Closing her eyes, she tried to shut out the stream of negative thoughts pouring into her brain, praying for a peaceful sleep as tears leaked down her body.

The next day passed in complete silence. A sort of horrible, suffocating tension had corrupted the air, and had smothered all fears of talking about recent events. Instead, the two Shepherds moved without words, their minds not focusing on the tasks ahead, but rather sadly remembering the recent argument. Occasionally, a regretful look was shot by Cordelia to Ricken, or from Ricken to Cordelia, but no actual eye contact ever happened. Instead, once again, all that was heard was a constant, almost droning sound of foot hitting road, of flesh meeting boot meeting path. Tears may have fallen on the floor, but they were of no consequence, and were treated as such. The weather had not cheered up, instead seeming to indulge in the misery, with an almost gleeful manner. Rain occasionally hit the ground, splashing, but once again this was of no real consequence – no amount of unfortunate weather could seem to worsen the already gloomy atmosphere.

They continued in this depression for several days, the weight of the argument still hanging over their heads. The worry of one of them snapping was becoming a more and more major concern, and as ever, Cordelia knew she had to be careful about her food supplies. Part of her realised that soon she would have to head back, or risk starvation, but there was a selfish part of her that did not want to do this – she felt like doing so would just be another form of failure – and she knew failure was the worst for her. As well as this, there was a form of ominous foreboding in the air, and she couldn't figure out what was causing it. Part of her had thought about asking Ricken if he had felt it too, but she didn't want to risk talking to him again. Not yet. The wounds were still there. Mostly, she tried to pass off the sensation as her being too paranoid, but it was hard to just dismiss like that. She hoped that she wasn't walking straight into danger, but she realised that even if she was, it might lead her to where she needed to go. Certainly she felt that she wasn't finished in Regna Ferox just yet.

Cordelia was right. It was about a day later when her fears came to light. She could smell the danger - long before she would have had a chance of seeing it. An overwhelming stench of putrid flesh raced up her nostrils, trying desperately to choke her, constricting at her windpipe. She gagged slightly as she moved forwards, her eyes suddenly more alert than they had been before. Risking a look at Ricken, she noticed that he seemed to have sensed something too. Her mind was racing. What could it possibly be? Moving forwards in a sort of disgusted eagerness, she tried to shut off her sense of smell, covering her nose with one arm, the other firmly gripping her lance just in case. Tears dropped from her eyes, as if somebody had slaughtered an onion nearby, and she could hear the pounding of her feet slamming against the floor beneath echoing again and again in her mind. As she increased her pace, she made sure not to fall over, steadying herself everytime she nearly went off balance. Though the clogging stench was all around her, she was able to identify locations where it was more prevalent, and headed towards those locations. Though she was barely able to see, partly due to the tears drowning out her vision, and partly because the pure power of the smell was addling her brain, she was still able to make sure that Ricken was following along with her, and she gave him a small smile - the first smile she had made for days. There was no reply from him, but this did not phase her, as she forced herself to keep going.

Cordelia's face paled. Bodies. That was what she could smell. At first, there weren't many. Maybe a dead person here, a couple there. They had expressions of terror on their face as blood was pouring out of them. The smell they gave off churned her stomach, and she had to fight to keep back the vomit. As she progressed, she saw a wider array of victims. Men. Women. Children. She felt tears fall down her face as she passed by the broken body of a young boy. What could have been doing this? Her mind was racing. This could only be the work of bandits, but there was a horrible odour that seemed almost inhuman. But this was too large a scale a massacre to be the creation of some wild beast. Next to her was Ricken, and she could see the same anger she was forcing back in his eyes. Again, she offered him a comforting smile, but it was ignored, possibly out of accident, possibly out of spite. Either way, she decided she didn't care. There were more important matters for her to worry about. Forcing herself to keep going despite the growing bile in her throat, she felt her heart start to race, faster and faster. A growing urge to turn tail and flee was rising in her, but she suppressed her survival instinct, determined not to let the perpetrators of this get away with it. Memories flooded back through her, almost breaking her, but instead she used them as fuel to overcome the surging pain in her body. Following the trail of bodies, as if it was some grotesque, obscene treasure hunt, she kept going, hate in her heart.

As Cordelia ran further and further along a sloping path, she could start to hear their screams. She wasn't sure, at first, whether or not it was a trick of her mind, if she was just hearing hallucinations or flashbacks. But they sounded too real, and as she kept going, she felt the cold hand of dread on her back. Gripping her lance, stopping the sweat that was forming on her hands from letting it slip, she looked around. No sign of anything. But a horrible sensation of being watched.  
"Do you feel that?" She spoke in a whisper.  
"We should get out of here. Leave while we still have the chance."  
"No!" She almost spat. "We're not letting people get away with this. I've seen too many innocents die to let this happen again."  
"But-" She didn't even bother listening, instead deciding just to walk ahead in disgust. Shaking her head, she didn't bother looking back, or listening to Ricken's attempted justification. What she was doing was what she had to do. A cold shiver shot up her back, as she increased her pace due to hearing the screams again and again. Part of her wanted to collapse, as memories flooded through her, and she suddenly felt very vulnerable, like she was just a child. But she had to progress forwards. She wanted to break down and cry, but she didn't let herself, instead charging across the road, the pestilent smell assaulting her again and again, trying and trying and trying to push her back. Fighting through it, she felt anger start to build a barrier around herself, and she took comfort in this, using her hate as a shield for herself. It was safer than letting herself think about painful memories.

Cordelia had nearly made it to the village before she saw one of them. Her eyes widened, and her face paled, her throat constricting as she felt sick rise to the surface. A twitching, gibbering, imperfect imitation of a corpse stared at her with twitching and gibbering red eyes. It held a weapon in its' hand - an old worn blade, likely older than it, and struck out with it, giving Cordelia only a little time to block with her lance. Stepping back to avoid a follow-up attack, she quickly glanced around her. Ricken was someways off, due to her rushing ahead in her angry urge for her angry justice, and she doubted he would be able to hear her. She'd have to win this fight by herself. Another sword stroke came towards her, and she deflected it, twisting her weapon so that her opponent was forced back a little. Striking with force, she gave the creature no time to defend itself from her attack, slicing into its' chest, albeit with not enough power to kill it. In fact, her brutality and lack of regard for personal defense allowed the monster to strike back, cutting at her chest armour. The pain struck her, and she flinched, instinctively stabbing out, managing to hit at her target's leg. Putting some distance in between her and the next blade attack, she then dashed forward, aiming for the throat, her spear securing the kill. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to carry on, not wanting to waste time waiting for Ricken - it was a stupid, stupid idea, and she knew that even then, but she found she could not muster the restraint needed to stop herself from continuing.

Villagers. Running. Spears and arrows cutting into them from behind. Villagers. Dropping. Cordelia's face paled, and she fought hard not to flee - fought her survival instinct. Her lance was in her hand, and her eyes were moving quickly from side to side, looking out to see if there was anyone coming. Or anything. She could still smell the stench of the rotting dead, and it filled her body, churning her stomach, and bringing bile to her throat. Low growls mixed with the screams and shouts and wails of the dying, creating a cacophony of utter horror. It wasn't long before she located the first enemies - two corpses lurched towards her, and she prepared to fight. Quickly reaching for a javelin that she hurled into the face of one of the enemies, she stepped back, hurling another one, slowing down the advance of her foes. A sword reached at her, and she took a strike on the arm, wincing slightly as it cut through her armour. The foe that attacked her followed-up, driving forwards with its' blade, but she managed to avoid the strike aimed at her waist. It tried to stumble at her, but she cut off its' advance with a swift and devastating lance to the throat. Turning around quickly, so as not to be flanked, she defended against a sword stroke, pushing her enemy away from her. Gritting her teeth, she felt a sudden surge of energy, allowing her to stab into the enemy's flesh, forcing her lance through its' stomach, out of its' back. Breathing a sigh of relief, she continued forwards, raising her weapon as she saw another gibbering monstrosity charging towards her. Its' axe smashed down, but she maneuvered out of the way, catching it with a strike to the leg. Avoiding the next blow, she wasted no time in aiming for the throat, her strike scoring a kill.

Cordelia saw a villager, pursued by an angry corpse. Racing ahead, nearly tripping over the ground several times, she considered trying to hurl a javelin at her opponent, but knew that to do such an act would perhaps result in the death of the villager. Instead, she held on to her lance, moving faster and faster. She could see the monster closing in on its' target, and her heart played the rhythm of a war-drum as she heard her foot collide with the road again and again and again. She didn't know if she was going to make it in time, but she was desperate - she was going to save as many as she could. She had no idea where Ricken had gone. He was most likely following behind, slow as he always was. Shaking her head, not wanting to worry about matters like that when more important things were at stake, she focused on what was ahead. The corpse was closing in on its' victim now, and she felt fear start to slow her down. A sort of feeling of horrible apathy was clogging her leg muscles, and though she tried to fight through it, tried to force her way forwards, she found it much, much harder than expected. Stumbling forwards, hatred filling her veins, she was nevertheless unable to prevent a sword from stabbing into the innocent man. He dropped dead, instantly, and she felt a scream surge to her throat. She choked on it slightly, and it manifested as a sort of angry growl, as she set her sights on the monster. Giving no concern to personal safety, she stabbed at it, leaving herself open to a strike to the chest, knocking her back slightly. Wincing in pain, she struck out again, and once again, she was punished for her recklessness, a brutal sword attack nearly winding her - only the rage inside keeping her going. Spitting a little, she instinctively went for the throat, sticking her spear into it, ending the movement of her foe instantly. Anger still burning inside her, she continued on her warpath, determined to track down the last of the risen dead.

Fatigue filled Cordelia's body, as she fought outside the village's gates. The villagers who hadn't been slain yet were hiding behind her, using her as their last protection and a bloody lance was in her hand. Though she didn't know how many more enemies remained, she knew that she wouldn't be able to last for long if there were many more, and as such, she was conserving the energy she had, fighting mostly defensively. Ricken was gone - though she was worried about this, she couldn't do much about it, unless she wanted the villagers to be slain. She would have to stay here and act as guardian, despite what she was feeling inside. Her eyes watched for any signs of hostile movement, and she felt a weird mixture of fear and adrenaline through her body. How long would she have to stay here for? She didn't know what was a sensible timeframe - her mind was still anxious about what had happened to Ricken, but she hoped that he could hold his own in a fight. She didn't want to leave the vulnerable people here. Not for him. Shaking her head, she sighed, not knowing what was right anymore. Then again, had she ever known what was right?

It had been about an hour with no more real signs of enemies to be seen, and as such Cordelia decided to head off in search of Ricken. Each step hurt her, her legs moving slowly and reluctantly, but despite her shakiness and the pain in her muscles, she kept going, aware that there was likely still to be reanimated corpses hunting for any stragglers. She had no idea where her companion would be - would he have tried to follow her up the road? She wondered if by leaving him to try and save the villagers, she had left him to die. A tear rolled down her cheek. She hadn't even been able to rescue all of the civilians. At least half of them, if not more, had died. If she had found this place sooner, the massacre could have been averted. But she didn't. Because she was always too slow. Forcing herself forwards, using the pain inside her as a catalyst for her speed, she let out a low growl as she felt another blast of anger rip through her. She didn't want to be slow anymore. She didn't want to be a goddamned failure anymore. Her hands were raw from the pressure she was putting on her lance, but this didn't phase her. The angry red marks left in her skin from her weapon didn't phase her. She was too focused, too concentrated on what was ahead of her to care. The burning desire to find Ricken, to prove herself worthy, was all that was inside her. Nothing more. Nothing less. No survival instinct. No thoughts of fleeing.

Cordelia found Ricken lying down, blood on his robe. Her eyes widened. Was he about to die? She had no medicine for him. He looked up at her, a smile on his face. Was it meant to reassure her? Or meant to try to stop her feeling guilty? Grabbing his fingers, she stared at him, horror on her face. Was this her punishment, for running ahead? But she had tried to do what was right. She cursed, a thousand curses under her breath. To hell with this. No matter what she did, it always seemed to be wrong.  
"Ricken! Ricken!" She screamed, her mind envisioning horrific thoughts.  
"Cordelia? You're here."  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you. You're going to die because of me, and it's all my fault. I let someone else die again." He shook his head.  
"It's not a serious injury. It's not even my blood. I'm just lying down because I'm too exhausted to carry on." There was a moment of silence. "Did you save the villagers?"  
"Not all of them. As many as I could." She spoke quietly. "But not enough." A tear leaked from her eye. "No matter what I do, it's never enough."  
"Cordelia..." She put her hand out, as if to silence him. Extending a hand, she helped him up.  
"We should go. I think that's all we can do here in Regna Ferox."  
"Back to Plegia?"  
"I don't want to go. But yes. We have to go back there."


	8. Chapter 8 - Reunited Grief

Chapter 8 - Reunited Grief

Cordelia moved forwards, Ricken at her side. The thought of returning to Plegia was like a constant looming shadow above her, filling her with dread, but she tried to silence that, banish it from her brain. There were dark shadows hiding under her eyes, betraying her lack of sleep. Though she didn't regard her companion with hate or anger now, her conscience guilty over his near-death, she did not speak to him either, no words coming to her throat. Instead, she simply moved silently, her body trembling, her mind lost in past memories and sorrows. Her hands were red, red from the strain of holding her lance, red from the strain of gripping onto her weapon - the only thing giving her comfort. As she forced herself to keep following the road, through the changing temperatures, she sighed. Though there was a fierce, fierce part of her heart that longed for combat, that longed to be able to finally fight against the Plegians, and take revenge, she was scared. She looked at Ricken. Her anger, and her inability to restrain herself had nearly caused his death. It had caused the death of two people, and nearly a third. A tear trickled slowly down her cheek. Maybe Ricken was right. She wasn't trustworthy. She was a fool. Shaking her head, she tried to put such thoughts out of her mind. It would do her no good to mope. No good at all.

"Where do you think the Shepherds will be, Cordelia? We've been gone for a long time now. Maybe even a month." She shook her head.  
"I don't know." Her voice was quiet, but she managed a small smile. "But we're going to have to find them." Ricken nodded at her, and she couldn't help but admire his determination. To her, the quest of finding the Shepherds seemed almost insurmountable. The desert was an endless expanse, one where she was truly lost.  
"They'll be heading south, won't they? To take the fight to Gangrel." There was a brief pause. "Do you think they would've won the war already?"  
"I doubt it." She swallowed. "I doubt it." Though she wanted this war to be over so desperately - she wanted Plegia and Gangrel to have been defeated so badly - she couldn't hold the optimism needed to believe that the Shepherds would have won so quickly.  
"Do you think we will win the war?" She nodded.  
"Robin's a good tactician. Chrom's a good leader. The Shepherds are good fighters. We have to win." Ricken gave her a smile, and she chuckled inside at how cheery he seemed to be. She guessed it to be a facade but she was glad for it, as she felt some of her anger at herself slowly erode away. Though she still hated what she had done, and hated herself for it, it wasn't quite as bad as before. "We're going to win."

The desert of Plegia was a large place, and it had been a few days of wandering in a vague direction, of not knowing where she was going, before Cordelia was just about ready to give up. Her feet were bruised, and her muscles felt like they could take no more. She just wanted to rest, but there was something inside her that kept her going. An almost burning desire to reach the Shepherds, and reach Robin. She was worried, that if she didn't get there fast enough something bad would happen. Was this just because of past events? She sighed, keeping her head down, protected somewhat from the sun's angry rays. The glare of the harsh light was threatening to force her to collapse, but she managed to persevere through it, her eyes squinting slightly, constantly adjusting as she moved. There were no roads beneath her feet, instead being just the rough texture of the sand constantly causing pain to her red, raw skin. The heat made her want to take her boots off, but she knew that doing so would just put her extremities at even more risk - it was far better for her if she could keep them covered. Walking forwards, she had to be careful of the shifting sands. It was difficult terrain to move through, and this didn't help her mood, or her sense of anxiety, instead making her start to worry that she wasn't going to find the Shepherds at all. Trying to shrug this off, she kept going forwards, her direction lost to her.

Walking through what she guessed to be the Border Sands, Cordelia kept a look out for any signs of the Shepherds. She wasn't expecting to find them this close to where the camp had been last time, instead being mostly alert for anything that they might have left behind. She was keeping an eye out for likely signs - scraps of cloth from destroyed tents, books, potions, any other equipment that might have been used. However, despite her rigorous searching, she couldn't really find much. There was no indicators as to where she should be headed, and she hated the sensation of being lost. What if she was headed the completely wrong way? She sighed, taking a deep breath to try and calm her mind so that she could think clearly. In Regna Ferox, she didn't really know where she was going, but she managed to find where she needed to be anyway. It was all about trusting her instincts. The Shepherds would likely be going south, as Ricken had said. All she had to do was keep going that way. Eventually she would find them. Though they may have made large progress to begin with, she doubted that they could have continued that through Gangrel's heavy resistance. She would catch up soon.

"Ricken. Look over there. On the horizon." Cordelia pointed to a small set of outlines far away, only barely visible due to the sunlight. "Is it me or do they look like tents?" They had been walking for some time now, and they were tired, once again in danger of running out of supplies. They had managed to stock up multiple times in Regna Ferox, but in the barren lands of Plegia, they had found nothing that could help them. It had been a hard journey, but this discovery managed to fill them both with a slight hint of joy.  
"Do you think it's them?" He spoke in a hushed but excited whisper, as if he believed that speaking louder would scare the Shepherds away.  
"We should go and investigate, certainly." She smiled, and he nodded, following her, both of them moving with a renewed vigour now that there was a faint glimmer of hope. As they moved with speed towards the vague shapes which gradually became more and more discernible, it was clear to them that what they were going towards was some sort of camp. It seemed almost impossible to them for this not to be the Shepherds. It had been a long period of separation for them, but now they would finally meet up again.  
"Hey, Robin! Look at that!" The tactician turned, smiling at Lissa's excitement. "It's them. They're back, safe and sound. Gods, it's been like a month or so."  
"Good. We could use their help. And it's nice to see them alive."  
"Oh Naga, I have to go and greet them! Give me a minute!"  
"Wait, Lissa-" Robin sighed, as the princess ran off. She was never a big fan of waiting, and she'd been wondering when Cordelia and Ricken would arrive back. Not having the heart to stop her, he let her charge off, redirecting his attention back to his studies. It'd been a hard month for the Shepherds, and after Emmeryn's sacrifice, he'd dedicated himself more than ever to trying to be the best he could. The worry of what Cordelia and Ricken had been doing had been playing on his mind a little, but he pushed aside fears of argument in order to concentrate. More than anything, he had tried to keep composed. He knew that it would do Chrom no good to see him breaking down. He had to remained focused, for the good of the Shepherds' morale, if nothing else. Sighing again, he flipped the book back to the start, trying to make sense of it. Trying to figure out its' answers.

"Lissa!" Ricken smiled at the princess. "You seem happy. Has everything gone well?" With that, her face paled, and his eyes widened. "What happened?"  
"I think we should get Cordelia to hear this as well. Before she finds out from anyone else." He nodded, and they moved together, in order to find the pegasus knight. It didn't take them long.  
"Ricken? Lissa? You seem anxious."  
"Lissa's got bad news. I don't know what it is, but I'm worried." Lissa cleared her throat, finding the words almost impossible to say. Almost gagging on them, she fought with them, until she was finally able to spit them out.  
"Emmeryn's dead. She gave her life. We were trying to get out of Plegia, but we didn't want to leave you lost. We're retreating, losing our ground. Chrom wants to march on and attack Gangrel head-on, but the Feroxians have ordered him to wait. We don't know how long we can hold out."  
"What do we do now?" Ricken's voice was cracking.  
"We're waiting for reinforcements from Regna Ferox. Speaking of, you two should report to Robin. Tell him how your mission went." They nodded, the weight of the knowledge they had suddenly gained crushing them like a stone dropped on their heads. It seemed almost impossible for the exalt to be dead, but there was no reason to doubt the truth of Lissa's words, no reason to doubt the sadness in her raw voice. Given what Lissa had said, neither of them expected the mood to be cheerful. This wasn't the reunion they expected, or the one they wanted, but it was the one they had received. And there wasn't anything they could do about it.

"Cordelia. Ricken. Come in. I trust Lissa has informed you about our situation?" They responded to Robin in the affirmative. "Good. As you can probably guess, we are all under stress right now. So if the Shepherds do not greet you warmly, then I am sorry. But it is not their fault. They just cannot control their emotions." Cordelia wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a personal attack. Deciding it would be best not to raise the issue, she just ignored the comment. "Now. I had sent you on business in Regna Ferox. Do you have a report?" The pegasus knight looked at Ricken, who motioned for her to speak.  
"We found two threats that we managed to deal with. One village was being attacked by bandits, so we worked together with someone known as 'the Secret Seller' to save the villagers. She's offered assistance, but I'm not sure how reliable she will be. We then found another settlement, this one being troubled by the risen dead." She stopped, hearing her voice start to crack, and collected herself. "We couldn't-I couldn't save all the villagers. Some of them were slain, but in the end the village was saved. I don't know where these undead came from. There were no hints around the battle scene."  
"We've fought against these dead ourselves. They seem to come from another world. Their presence in Regna Ferox is disturbing to say the least. Your report is appreciated, as is the work you do. You've earned yourself a break, though I'm not sure how much conversation you will receive from the other Shepherds. Cordelia, and Ricken, you are both dismissed." He gave them a smile, as they turned to leave his tent. Once they were gone, he treated himself to a sigh. How many more problems were going to pile up? What else was coming?

The first thing Cordelia did upon being dismissed was go to find Sumia, partly because she wanted to see how her pegasus was and partly because she wanted to confide in her friend. Recent events were haunting her, and she felt like she couldn't talk about them to Ricken, for fear of scaring him. It didn't take her long to find her fellow pegasus knight, who was at the stables, an unexpected smile on her face.  
"Cordelia! I heard you were back. I was going to find you myself, but I wasn't sure if you needed rest, and I didn't want to disturb you if you did."  
"Sumia." She returned the smile. "It's good to see you. I heard about what happened. How's Chrom?"  
"He's really badly shaken. I've been trying to cheer him up, but I don't know how. I guess the stress of being the new leader of Ylisse isn't helping."  
"Is he getting a formal coronation?"  
"After this war, I think. When he chooses someone to wed. I just wonder who he'll choose." Cordelia coughed slightly, covering it as best she could. Was Sumia really so oblivious? She was in love with Chrom - could she not see that he reciprocated his affections? Unlike other people who were in love with him. She tried to clear her head of those thoughts. They would just make her close off to Sumia, which was something she couldn't afford to do.  
"I wonder too. But I just hope that whoever he chooses can support him. How are you coping?"  
"I'm-I'm fine, really. Just I wish Emmeryn didn't have to sacrifice herself. I just wished that we could get through this without any more casualties." There was a tear in her eye which she wiped away.  
"That's war. A bloody, violent hell. All we can do is try to survive, and try to help those around us survive."  
"Cordelia?" Sumia spoke in a concerned tone. "Did something happen in Regna Ferox?"  
"I failed again. There were villagers, and I couldn't save them all. So many died. And I left Ricken as well. I could have been responsible for his death as well." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Why do I keep failing?"  
"It's not your fault-"  
"It is. It's all my fault." She sighed. "I have to get stronger. I need to stop failing. I have to get stronger."  
"Cordelia-" She shook her head.  
"Don't try to persuade me otherwise. I'm useless. I'm crap. I have to get better. This is war, Sumia. This is hell, and I'm sick of it. The only way I can survive through it, help my friends and fellow Ylisseans through it is by becoming stronger. Which one's my pegasus?" Sumia realised there was no point in arguing.  
"I'll get him for you."

Cordelia smiled at her pegasus who regarded her with familiarity, allowing her to stroke his head. She gave him his finger to lick, and laughed at how the sensation tickled her. She remembered doing this when she was still a young trainee. That was so long ago now. Before all of this war nonsense happened. Again, the pegasus nuzzled at her hand, and she ran her fingers along its' forehead affectionately. There was no other sounds disturbing the two - Sumia had gone off, recognising that Cordelia would need alone time, and as such she did not have the company of any other humans. Not that she minded. This allowed her to clear her head, and she felt calmer now, than she had been before. It hadn't changed her opinion of herself, but there was less anger in her heart - some still remained, lurking beneath the surface, but much of it had been changed into a determination. She looked around her pegasus' room in the stable. Part of her wanted to go into the air, to start flying again. She hadn't done that since the small scouting mission she had after Breakneck Pass. The thought of whizzing around in the air filled her with a mixture of emotions. Though she was looking forwards to it, there was a churning in her stomach - a churning caused by fear, fear of the sky, of what might be coming. She shook her head. That wouldn't do. She couldn't be a pegasus knight afraid of the air. That was ridiculous.

"Listen, I'm just going to go ask Robin, and if he says yes, we can go flying again. You've had the rest you earned, but I'm going to need you soon. The Plegians are still out there, and they're more of a threat than ever. But you and me are going to stop them." The pegasus whinnied, as if in agreement, and she smiled, stroking its' head one last time.  
"So how are you?" Lissa smiled at Ricken, trying to reassure the young mage. "How was the journey into Regna Ferox?"  
"It was... We managed to save some people." He spoke in a tone that gave away what he really felt.  
"Did something happen there?"  
"Me and Cordelia. We got into arguments. We fought all the time. Well, until she thought I nearly died." He chuckled grimly. "But she's really volatile."  
"Aw, everyone is!"  
"Lissa, do you even know what that means?"  
"Yeah! Everyone has things that set them off. Especially now." She stopped for a minute. "The important thing is to not purposefully irritate others. That's just mean."  
"Why am I getting the moral lecture?" She pouted at him slightly. "Well, how have you been? It must be hard for you, with recent events."  
"I just can't really believe she's dead. It's like a massive wake-up slap. I knew people died in war, I knew some of the people who died in war, but I always thought my family would make it through." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I never thought that we were in danger. I'd never even thought of the possibility of Sis dying. I guess that's just war though." She coughed. "All I can do is try and protect my friends. But I can't fight."  
"Healing's an important skill."  
"Yeah, when someone's hurt on the battlefield. But I can't usually get to them." Ricken shook his head.  
"You heal in other ways. You always try to stay upbeat, for us. You heal the Shepherds by being you, Lissa. Maribelle told me stories of when she was down, you were there for her." She smiled at him a little.  
"I guess." She paused. "Ooh! Speaking of Maribelle, she's alive and well. I think she might have been missing you a little."  
"Well, I guess I should go and speak to her then."  
"Yeah, probably not a good idea to keep her waiting."  
"I guess I'll see you later. Thanks, Lissa."  
"No. Thank you, Ricken."

Cordelia swallowed a little bit of residual fear. She wasn't quite sure why she was so nervous about asking Robin if she could go on a short flight, but for some reason, she felt apprehension at the idea, and she didn't quite believe it was because she thought Robin would say 'no'. She hoped that it wasn't a fear of flying gradually building up in her. Determined not to fall prey to that, she cleared her throat loudly, attracting the tactician's attention.  
"Cordelia? Come in." He turned to face her. "What can I do for you?"  
"Um... I was wondering if I could be given leave. To go flying. Not anything major. Just because I haven't been in the air for a while." Robin thought for a moment.  
"You've proven yourself in your ventures into Regna Ferox. However, I do not want any of the Shepherds alone in enemy territory. It would be far too easy for the Plegians to pick us off. So, if you can convince somebody else to accompany you, then you may proceed in this venture. But be safe, and if you see hostile movement, I want you to immediately evacuate. We will not lose another member of the Shepherds." Cordelia nodded.  
"Thank you." He smiled.  
"You did well in Regna Ferox. You saved people. Don't forget that. Every life you save is precious. Every life."  
"Yes, Robin." She nodded again, leaving the tent.

"So you want me to come on a flight with you?"  
"If you wouldn't mind. Robin's said I can't go alone - it's too dangerous."  
"Where are we going?"  
"Just flying around, I suppose. I just want to experience being in the air once more. I've been grounded for what seems like a really long time now."  
"Alright. But I don't want to be gone too long." Cordelia nodded. She understood what Sumia meant, and could see why she wanted that.  
"It won't be for very long." She gave a smile. "Thank you."  
"No problem. You've done lots for me in the past, and I'm glad I can help you." Cordelia smiled again, and went with Sumia to ready the pegasi for flight. "I want to try to help you overcome your anger."  
"Thank you. I don't deserve a friend like you."  
"Cordelia..." The red-haired pegasus knight just shook her head.  
"Don't try to make me feel better about myself. Please. It's a waste." Sumia didn't reply to that, and the two pegasus knights prepared themselves to take to the air.


	9. Chapter 9 - Warning Signals

Chapter 9 - Warning Signals

Cordelia nodded at Sumia, as they both took into the air. She could feel the wind striking into her as she rose up into the sky, and she smiled, soaring upwards. Her pegasus whinnied as she shot forwards, before pulling the reins to direct her steed to travel more horizontally. Shooting through the blue as if an arrow, she grinned as she felt the heavy breeze brush into her hair. Though the heat was bearing down on her, she found she could ignore it somewhat, instead focusing upon the sensation of flying. Seeing that Sumia was ahead of her, she smiled, her competitive streak getting the better of her as she pushed her pegasus faster, his whinnies informing her that he was in agreement with this. Overtaking her friend, she flew just above her, waving slightly, before diving back to the same height, flying alongside the other pegasus knight.  
"Do you have any specific direction you want to go, Cordelia?" She shook her head.  
"Just not too far away from the camp. I want to be able to return quickly if we need to." Sumia nodded at that, and they carried on, heading south from where the Shepherds were located.

Cordelia looked below her. There were a group of Plegians, seemingly making camp. Were they an advance guard, there to attack the Shepherds? She didn't want to risk that possibility, but she didn't want to panic Robin, not when the Shepherds were in such a state of crisis already. But Sumia was with her, and she didn't want to endanger her friend. Without realising it, her hand had tensed around her lance, as if ready to fly into the combat. Was that a sign? Not wanting to stand idly by, she swooped downwards, starting a descent towards the sandy ground, so that she could get a better look. The Plegians did not number more than thirty, and seemed unprepared. If she wanted to strike, it would be best to do it soon.  
"Sumia!" She shouted, although as she did, she cursed, realising she could have given herself away. Fortunately, it seemed like though her voice carried upwards, it was not heard below.  
"Cordelia? Oh." Sumia saw where Cordelia was pointing. "We have to warn the Shepherds. I know what you're thinking, but you can't fight them by yourself."  
"I don't want to panic them though."  
"Better that than to worry them with your death. Please, Cordelia. Chrom's shaken. I don't want to lose you too." She didn't want to follow Sumia's advice, but she realised it was what was sensible. "The Shepherds can prepare a defense. We're in a group. We have to work together."  
"Right. We should go back. Quickly."

Cordelia steered her pegasus through the sky, a sense of urgency in her mind. She tried to fight it, in order to avoid the panic that she felt – the Plegians weren't going to be able to advance quicker than her, and she had a head-start. Unlike last time, this race would not end poorly. All she had to do was focus. Trying not to push her steed to lengths and speeds it wouldn't be able to keep up with for long, she made sure to keep Sumia in her field of view at all times, using her friend as a sort of check to make sure she was on the right path. The sense of exhilaration she felt when in the air was still there, but much of it had faded now, her brain unable to comprehend the fact that she wasn't racing against an impossibly fast clock. Fear was gripping at her muscles – the fear of failure once again telling her that she had to be better than she was. Unwittingly increasing her speed even more, she shot through the blue, not a gliding arrow shot by a keen archer, but a speeding bolt fired by a ballista, filled with unnecessary anxiety. Not paying attention to Sumia's position anymore, she kept going, until she reached her destination.

Ricken saw the pegasus soaring through the sky, and instantly recognised the red hair of its' rider. But why had Cordelia gone flying, and, more importantly, why was she coming back so quickly? Moving so that he could greet his companion, he waited for her to land, giving her enough space to that he wasn't in the way of her steed. She dismounted, looking at him with urgency in her eyes.  
"Ricken. I need to speak with Robin. Immediately." He nodded, immediately turning to fetch the tactician. As he moved through the temporary camp that the Shepherds had put up, questions raced through his mind. Why was Cordelia suddenly in need of Robin? Had something happened? He tried to think back to what he knew of the red-haired pegasus knight, which, despite traveling with her for a month, wasn't all that much – she hadn't really been willing to disclose too much about her past. But he did know that she held a hatred for Plegians. Had she found something relating to that? There were too many options. All he had to do was find Robin. If it was anything important, he would learn then. But despite knowing this, there was a childish curiosity in him that wanted to know. Trying not to let that get the better of him, he kept running, his shoes dancing along the sandy surface, his feet slowly becoming used to the desert below. It didn't take too long for him to reach Robin's tent. Clearing his throat, in order to make his presence known, he was invited in.  
"Ricken? You need me?"  
"It's Cordelia. She wants to speak with you. It seems important."  
"Do you what about?" The mage shook his head, and Robin nodded. "Alright. Let's go. I allowed her to go flying. Maybe she found something."

"Cordelia. Where's Sumia?" Robin was instantly worried. The pegasus knight tried to give him a reassuring smile.  
"She's coming. I flew ahead. We found Plegians, barely a day's march away. I fear they are advancing on our position." This wasn't unexpected for the tactician, who had been fearing an attack by the Plegians.  
"How many? Do you know what kind of weapons they have?"  
"Around thirty. But I didn't see their equipment. I do not believe these are the elite, though. The Shepherds should be able to take them in a fight."  
"Then these are likely to be a scouting party. And I fear there will be more coming."  
"What should we do? We have to fight them, before they get the chance to strike." Robin shook his head.  
"We wait. We can't afford to rush in blindly, and be killed. The Feroxians want us to wait and wait we will. If the Plegian force wants to attack, then they will meet our steel." Cordelia nodded, realising that there was no point to arguing. "Where is Sumia?"  
"She's still in the sky, coming back. I rushed off ahead. I was worried that the Plegians would suddenly attack."  
"Go back in the air. Find Sumia. And, if you can, get a more detailed report on their forces. I want to know how strong their weapons are. In the meantime, I will prepare our defense."

Robin gathered the Shepherds together, calling for a meeting, just outside of Chrom's tent. They came quickly, and he could hear whisperings among them - they were worried about what was happening.  
"Shepherds, I have news. Cordelia and Sumia had been flying around, and they saw a group of Plegian forces around one day away from us. Now this is nothing to worry about - we can easily fight them, but we need to be prepared. As well as this, this incident proves that we need out of Plegia. Basilio should be sending in reinforcements to cover our escape soon, but if he does not deliver quickly enough, we may have to try to leave ourselves, before Gangrel can muster together a greater force. So, prepare to fight, and prepare to make an exit from Plegia. That is all." There was an applause, the standard reaction to a speech like Robin had just made. Looking around, at facial expressions, he could see that some of the Shepherds, despite him trying to be reassuring, had fear in their eyes. He supposed that most of this came from the feeling of being lost, a feeling that he too was experiencing. There was nothing really that he could do for them, other than try to advise them as best he could. It fell to Chrom to lead now, and he could only hope the once-prince could use his expertise at leading the Shepherds, and turn it into something greater, without letting his emotions get the best of him. Without giving into anger.

Cordelia wasted no time in saddling her pegasus and taking back to the sky. There was still a crippling sense of urgency in her body, but this time instead of fighting it, she used it to drive herself. Expertly maneuvering around clouds, firmly in control of her pegasus, she kept an eye out for any signs of Sumia. It didn't take her long to see the familiar sight of another rider, coming towards her. At first, she worried that it was an enemy, but as the figure approached, she could see, with relief, that it was nothing more threatening than Sumia. Flying to greet her friend, she managed a smile.  
"Cordelia? You're back?"  
"Robin wants to know details about the Plegians."  
"So we're going back?"  
"You don't need to come if you don't want to. It could be dangerous. I don't think they have archers, but I cannot be sure."  
"Cordelia. You should know by now that I'm going to come with you."  
"Sumia..." She saw from her friend's expression that there was no point arguing and as such didn't finish what she was saying, instead heading in the direction of the Plegian camp.

The Plegians seemed to be relatively ill-equipped. They were marching, not really looking around them, and Cordelia could see the shabby state of their weapons. Most of them were wielding iron or steel, and they had a mixture of melee equipment. It seemed they had no mages or archers with them - did this group truly intend to take on the Shepherds? She flew around to their back, making sure that neither she or Sumia were spotted. They had only a small convoy with them, which likely contained their food and equipment. From what she could see of their weapons, and their general state, it was likely these were new recruits, quickly drafted into the war. Nodding at Sumia to return, she wheeled around, getting ready to leave the scene.

"Robin. We've scouted out the Plegians. They're marching on us, but they don't seem very experienced. Their weapons are in poor condition, and are not high-quality. I do not know if they are actually being sent to attack us, but if so I do not feel like they will be much of a threat."  
"Thank you, Cordelia. But I do not wish to underestimate our enemy. Nevertheless, your information is valued. The Shepherds are ready to fight. How long do you think it will be until our armies clash?"  
"Less than a day. They seem to be marching with some speed, even if they are not aware of their surroundings."  
"We should rest soon then." Cordelia nodded. "I want everyone fully prepared for the fight ahead, even if you think it an easy victory. We cannot take chances."  
"Yes, Robin." Cordelia was dismissed, and went back to her tent, trying to take Robin's advice to get some rest. As she closed her eyes, she wondered briefly who would be on lookout, but she was sure that it would be dealt with, and as such, it wasn't too important to her to worry about.

Cordelia blinked, sure that she could hear something. Stretching, she forced herself upwards, stumbling a little. Grabbing her lance in case it was an emergency, she poked her head out of her tent, looking around for any signs of trouble. Other Shepherds were rising as well, and she could see Gaius running around, trying to wake the Shepherds who were still in their tent. She guessed that the Plegians were coming. Looking around for anyone she could talk to, she spied Ricken getting ready to fight, and went over to join him.  
"I guess that Gaius' yelling woke you as well?" She nodded. "The enemies are coming. We have about an hour."  
"Right. Does Robin have a battle plan?" Ricken replied in the affirmative, and she thanked for her to do this, and she was told to mount her pegasus, and harass from the sky.

Saddling up, Cordelia made sure that she was ready for combat. She had a set of javelins with her, and in her hands was her lance. Taking to the skies, she soared above the Shepherds on the ground, although she made sure that she could still see what was happening below. It didn't take long for Sumia to join her, and she smiled at her fellow pegasus knight.  
"Robin's told you what we're doing, I suppose?" Sumia nodded, and they both flew closer to the edge of the camp, in order to get a better look at the oncoming Plegians. The first few soldiers came forth, and Cordelia pulled out one of her throwing spears, hurling it at the enemies, killing one of them instantly. Below her, she could see the main fighting force of the Shepherds meeting the enemy charge with their grim, unsmiling weapons, and she grabbed her lance, swooping around the battlefield, so that she could dive at the back line of foes. As she came up from a strike, she narrowly avoided an enemy's axe coming towards her, flying back up out of the way. Quickly scanning around, looking for where she needed to be, she saw a group of Plegians clumping together, and threw a few javelins at them, wounding two, and scaring the rest off. An axe came hurtling towards her, but though she was taken by surprise, she managed to react instinctively enough to dodge it by flying to the side, before throwing another lance at her opponent, hitting him in the neck. She looked around again. There weren't many soldiers left - most of them had been swiftly eliminated by the Shepherds. Diving back down to attack a couple more enemies, she knew that the battle would be over soon.

It was over, and from her view above, Cordelia couldn't see any friendly casualties. Turning her pegasus around, so that she could rejoin the main body of the Shepherds, she headed towards the sands. Gently lowering her altitude until she was on the ground, she then demounted, taking her pegasus towards the stables. Nobody disturbed her as she did this, and it wasn't long before her steed was safely enclosed again. Once this was done, she went to go and find Robin, so that she could be told what to do next.

"Cordelia. Good work on helping us through that battle." She nodded at Robin. "For now, you should get some rest. We may have to start moving in the morning." She didn't really want to do this - she wanted some action of some sort, but it wasn't worth starting an argument over, and as such she retreated to her tent, where she lay down, staring up at the sky. What would happen now? Would they just leave this war, go back to Ylisse? It was a childish fantasy, really. She hoped that Robin had some kind of plan for what happened when the Plegians followed them, because surely he had accounted for that possibility. And it wasn't like Gangrel wouldn't. It seemed he would stop at nothing to destroy Ylisse. She felt a surge of anger in her throat, and it was all she could do to make it so that her scream was not audible - she had to let out the hate that she had for the Mad King. Because it was clear to her that he was responsible for everything that had happened. The pegasus knights' deaths - he was the one who had ordered that massacre. He was the one who had caused the traumatic sight of red feathers dropping as if lead weights through a scream-filled sky. She closed her eyes, trying to block out those memories, as she fought futilely to stop tears from hurtling down her face. There would be time for misery later. She needed sleep now, for what was ahead.

Cordelia rubbed her eyes, letting out quite a yawn. She stumbled around a little, before managing to come to her senses. Her mind had no concept of what time it was, and she still felt tired. Without realising it, the month she had spent away from the Shepherds had taken its' toll on her. She just wanted to curl up and go back to sleep, but knew that wasn't an option. They had to start moving soon. Making sure she was in a position to leave, she gathered up what she thought she would have to take with her, in case the Shepherds had to go on a moment's notice. Stretching, feeling an ache in her muscles, she winced as she forced herself out of the tent, looking around to see if anybody else was awake. To her surprise, and a little shame, she realised that it was possibly mid-day, and everyone was already active. Had she slept in for so long? She didn't want to believe it, but it was likely true - she could only hope that her delay hadn't cost the Shepherds anything. Trying to make up for lost time, she immediately went over to where Robin was.

"Robin. I'm sorry for sleeping in so late. Please don't punish me." She gulped, a little nervous, but the tactician just smiled.  
"Cordelia. You're not in trouble. You evidently needed the sleep."  
"But I could have cost us valuable time!"  
"We're waiting for reports to see if the escape is clear."  
"But you said-"  
"I know. But there's been evidence to suggest that maybe we're surrounded on all sides by the Plegians. We can't leave yet."  
"So what do we do?"  
"We have to bide our time, and remain alert. If Gangrel moves against us, we make a break for it. Until then, we're waiting for the Feroxians to reach us. It isn't an ideal situation, but we don't want casualties."  
"In that case, would you need people to scout?" Robin thought for a moment.  
"You don't want to wait around, do you?" She shook her head, not wanting to argue. "You'd need to have someone with you. And I don't know if Sumia would be able to join you. She's worried about Chrom."  
"I understand. But what about if I find somebody to accompany me?"  
"Then you would be allowed, as long as you weren't out for too long. But you'd have to be careful out there - I'm fine with you doing this for us, but I don't want anyone else to die." She nodded, an idea of who she could ask to come with her already in her mind.  
"Thank you, Robin." With that, she gave him a smile, before going to leave the tent.


	10. Chapter 10 - Falling Feathers

Chapter 10 - Falling Feathers

"You want me to come with you? Why me?" Ricken looked at Cordelia, not really understanding.  
"Because Sumia's busy, and you're the only other one I can trust. I don't know the other Shepherds."  
"But don't you want your pegasus?" She shook her head.  
"Not by myself. Never by myself again." She took a deep breath. "I'd rather walk through the desert, with you. It may slow me down, but that's a small price to pay."  
"But why do even want to go scouting? Isn't it better just to stay here?"  
"I can't. It's more waiting. I don't want to do nothing. I can't take it."  
"Cordelia..." She sighed.  
"I know you probably think me to be a fool, Ricken. But I guess that's what I am. Impulsive and foolish because of it." She gave a pathetic smile.  
"I'll think about your offer." He paused for a moment. "I'll let you know tomorrow." She nodded at him.  
"Thank you."

Cordelia blinked, forcing herself to wake up. She was stiff and store, exhausted from everything, but she made herself get off the ground, standing on her own two feet. Looking around her, she made her way out of the tent she was in, heading to see if Ricken was awake yet. She wondered if he was busy making potions, and suddenly realised that she'd never really gotten to learn that from him - they'd been traveling, and once they'd gotten back, more important things had taken over. She wasn't sure how much she really wanted to learn, but there was a little curiosity in her brain. Perhaps once they'd gotten out of Plegia, he could teach her. That made her smile a little, as she flicked her eyes around her. There was no sign of the young mage, and she wondered if he was still asleep. Moving around the camp, she spied Lissa and went over to her.  
"Do you know if Ricken's awake yet?" Lissa shook her head.  
"I don't think so."  
"Thank you." Cordelia smiled, before turning, going back to her tent.

Cordelia had waited an hour, and just about to go and try and find the young mage again, before he himself had turned up. He greeted her with a smile, inviting her to come outside.  
"Ricken. Have you made up your mind?"  
"Yeah. I'll come with you. We should leave soon, though." Cordelia smiled back.  
"Thank you."  
"Where will we be going?"  
"Just north of where we are now. We need to see if the escape route is clear for the Shepherds."  
"Right. I haven't packed yet, but I should be ready in a few hours." She nodded at him. "I'll come back when I've done, I suppose." With that, Ricken left, and Cordelia smiled, getting ready to wait for a little bit.

As Ricken had said, it only took him a couple of hours before he came back to Cordelia's tent, once again asking her to come out. She did so, smiling at him, a few bags around her waist - bags she usually used for her pegasus, filled with what she would need. Saying goodbye to the Shepherds temporarily, she made sure that her pegasus was in safe hands before getting ready to leave, heading out into the vast sandy expanses, away from the repetition of the camp. As she was saying goodbye, she wondered where the Feroxians would be - she was tiring of Plegia, and wanted to return to a fresh Ylissean soil again. Sighing, she moved forwards, not for the first time feeling overheated in her armor. Giving a faint smile to Ricken, she prepared to step outside the boundaries of the Shepherds' small camp, into the large wasteland of Plegia. Her lance was in her hand, just in case of ambushing, and she had what she would need with her.

The first day of traveling and scouting was peaceful - though not happy. Both Cordelia and Ricken had vastly underestimated how hot it would be whilst walking, especially as the temperature seemed to have risen since they first got to Plegia - they wondered if they were reaching the summer seasons. The thought of that sent a little bit of fear into their hearts, as they feared that they might not be able to cope with such a rise in heat. But despite this, they knew that they had to keep going, moving across the blistering sands beneath them. On the first day, though they were alert, they were not as alert as they could have been, mostly due to the fact that they weren't too far away from camp, and knew there couldn't really be too many enemies around. As such, they just walked north, determined to keep going.

It was a few days until Cordelia swore that she could smell smoke. She was traversing through the sand, looking around for any signs of enemies when a strange smell assaulted her nose. Wrinkling in distaste, she immediately turned to Ricken.  
"Do you smell that?"  
"The smoke? Barely. But it's there."  
"I think there's enemies in the distance. Call it a hunch. But we have to go and see." Ricken nodded at her as they started readjusting their course so it led them to where Cordelia thought the stench was coming from. As they ventured that way, they kept their eyes open for any signs of an ambush - or just Plegians in general. Cordelia felt worried about this, as she wasn't sure where or when there would be enemies, but her mind was determined that there would be Plegians somewhere, just waiting to attack. As her and Ricken moved forwards, she was sure that something was preparing to strike. She didn't tell her friend about this, instead just leaving it to fester as she neared the source of the smog.

It took about four hours before Cordelia could see fire on the horizon - a fire that was rapidly growing bigger and bigger as if a tree growing in this lifeless desert. She doubted that it was very far away, and turned to Ricken, making sure that he was ready just in case the Plegians were nearby. Her lance was firmly in her hand, and she was alert, ready to fight as soon as danger presented itself. Slowing her pace down so that she could move more cautiously, she moved through the sands, trying not to breathe in too much of the choking smoke. Dashing her eyes from side to side, she kept an eye out on the flame in the distance, just in case it illuminated any figures that were near it. It wasn't long before she could almost taste the ash on the air. As the unmistakable sound of the fires entered her ears, she swore she could hear something - something human.

Plegians. Cordelia felt the familiar surge of anger that rose within her whenever she thought of them. She was fairly sure they hadn't noticed her, and she silently signalled to Ricken to prepare for combat. Grabbing a javelin, she took careful aim, trying to steady her hand that was shaking without permission. Throwing it, she struck through the neck of one of her opponents, spilling blood. Quickly equipping herself with her lance, she prepared to fight against the rest of the camp - there were about seven or eight Plegians there. An unsmiling man charged at her, unsmiling axe in his hands, and she blocked, but was forced backwards. Grunting, she tried to balance herself on the slippery sands, before managing to dodge the next attack, seizing her opportunity to strike at his stomach. A gust of wind ripped past her, knocking down the two Plegian swordsmen who were about to charge at her. Taking this opportunity, she went towards them, giving them no mercy as she stabbed into their bodies on the ground. An arrow flew at her as she did this, but though it hit her armored stomach, she paid little attention, instead focusing on killing the wounded. Once she was finished, she turned around to see another shot hurtling towards her. Quickly moving herself out of the way, she held back on going to attack, knowing that another Plegian was coming towards her. She might have had anger fuelling her veins, but it was not overwhelming her yet. Guarding herself from an attack, she pressed against her aggressor, allowing her to force a lance through his stomach, bringing it out his back. Wind smited the bowman, ripping him apart, and she smiled as she stepped forwards, the final couple of Plegians giving her more of a scared look than an angry one. However, this didn't really phase her as she stabbed forwards, impaling one of them on her lance, a grim look on her face. The other charged at her, raising his axe high, but she managed to manuever out of the way in time, allowing Ricken to defeat him with a wave of wind.

Anger on her face, Cordelia strode past the dead Plegians, not paying any attention to anything that might be in the camp. Trying to calm down, she took a deep breath with every step, and slowly a normal expression came back to her. As she did this, she heard a voice from the side of her and looked at Ricken.  
"Yes?"  
"Some of the Plegians were scared." Ricken gulped, looking nervous. "I don't think they wanted to fight."  
"Of course they wanted to fight. They're Plegians." Cordelia stopped, as she heard her words. What the hell had she just said? "We had to kill them. In case they warned their masters. It's harsh, but it's what we had to do." She was a little shaken at what she had just said - she'd seen Plegians a few days ago without reacting like this. Was she slowly losing the fight with her anger? She couldn't allow that. "It's not worth worrying about. We should carry on."  
"But-"  
"Ricken. Don't dwell on it. Trust me." Cordelia's voice, though underlined with sadness, held enough steel in it to silence the young mage, and as such the two of them continued in a bleak silence.

It wasn't long before Cordelia saw something else on the horizon. A building, made from what looked to be stone bricks. It certainly wasn't a village. Regarding it with both curiosity and fear, she made sure to head towards it, wanting to know what was inside. Though she fatigued from the fight earlier, especially due to the heat constantly eroding at her energy, she felt a pool of adrenaline within her body, possibly from the recent battle. Using it as her strength, she forced herself to move towards the strange structure, her eyes scanning it to see if there was anything indicating what it was. From what she could see, there seemed to be what looked like windows within it, but she could make nothing else out apart from its' shape.

After a while, Cordelia finally made it to the building. As she was heading towards it, she could see that the windows had iron bars lining them, as if trying to block out the sunlight. The stone it was made from was a dull grey, staring blankly down at her. She didn't know what it was, but its' wooden, creaking door looked uninviting. She wondered if she would be better off leaving it alone, but decided that it had to be something important.  
"Cordelia?" Ricken looked at her, and she offered what smile she could. "Do we go in?" There was a brief silence, whilst she figured through her thoughts, before eventually nodding.  
"There's nothing really to lose, apart from time."

Stepping into the building, Cordelia was immediately hit by a rush of darkness, her eyes having to constantly squint in order to try and get used to the lack of light inside. She felt unreasonably cold, despite the heat outside, and despite the armour that she was wearing. It was like the cold was inside of her, instead of outside, and she wasn't sure why. Trying to overcome this by moving forwards, she kept her ears open for any sounds - it didn't take her long to hear footsteps reverberating from up above. She wasn't alone. Moving forwards quietly and cautiously, she kept her hand on the smooth wall so that she didn't lose her way due to the blackness. She was made aware of Ricken's presence by her by only two things - the sound of him walking, and the fact that he was gripping her hand, as if a child gripping the hand of its' mother. They walked like this through the structure, all the while aware that there was someone - or something - else with them.

Torchlight. A corridor of blazing, flickering lights leading the way, offering a small hope. Cordelia blinked as she stepped into the hallway, her eyes no longer having to repeatedly adjust. Instead, the way was clear, and although the light was dim it was a welcome relief from the inky darkness that had been consuming her earlier. No longer did she have to trace the wall in order to make sure she wasn't lost, and Ricken's grip had slipped, giving her a freedom - a freedom that was enchanced by the lack of blackness in her vision. Walking through the path, she looked around her for any signs of enemy presence, or any signs of where to go next, but she found no hidden passages, and as such carried on in a straight line.

The sound of footsteps that Cordelia kept hearing whilst in the building eventually became meaningful. She was still in the corridor of lights when she, out of the corner of her eye, saw a shadowy shape move, seemingly towards her. Grabbing her lance, she turned to Ricken to instruct him to ready for combat - she didn't trust the mysterious figure, thinking that it was a Plegian. It didn't take long for her suspicions to be proven correct. A guard shambled from out of the darkness, and snarled at her once he saw her, moving towards her with his axe in hand. She stood her ground, dodging the strike that came for her, giving Ricken time to create a burst of wind to knock the guard back, allowing her to go for the throat. Ripping her weapon from the dead man's corpse, she looked at Ricken.

"There's bound to be more enemies around here. I don't know what this place is, but it's going to be important. We have to find out why." She paused for a moment. "We should split up. I know it's going to be dangerous, but we need to be able to cover ground quickly. It'll be easier to go undetected if we're separated." Ricken looked at her, before nodding, seemingly reluctantly.  
"Alright. But we shouldn't leave each other until we see some sort of branching path. Until then, we stay together."

The path branched after what Cordelia guessed to be nearly an hour of wandering. In that time, they had little contact with foes, and the few guards they saw, they effortlessly dispatched without any alarms or signals being sent. They simply moved through the building, often times returning to the darkness that Cordelia detested so much. Talking little so as not to cause unnecessary and possibly dangerous noise, they eventually came to a fork in the corridors they were following - one led upstairs, and the other led downstairs.  
"Now we split up." Ricken nodded at what Cordelia had whispered. "Which way do we take?"  
"I think there's likely to be important documents upstairs."  
"So you go that way. You'll be much better at sneaking than me."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes. I trust you not to get caught." Ricken managed a small smile at that.  
"Meet back here safely."  
"I will."

Moving down the stairs, Cordelia shot one look behind her as she watched her companion walk off. She was alone now. It would be some time before her and Ricken were re-united, but she tried not to let this bother her as she followed the stairs to their destination. Stepping into a large corridor, she could smell something strange in the air, though she had no idea what it was. It assaulted her nose as she tried to travel forwards through it, making her cough slightly. The darkness was still cloaking her, but she was able to slightly see through it now, whether or not that was from her eyes adapting or from the light level subtly rising, she didn't know. But it made her feel slightly more at ease, although her lance was still at hand, in case she came across more enemies to kill - although she wanted to avoid as much combat as possible, in order to stop herself from being spotted. Looking around, creeping forwards cautiously, she kept going. It was about twenty minutes of her going straight in one direction, with no indications as to anyone else's presence, until she could hear footsteps, near to her. Fear jolted up her spine, as she realised that they were likely hostile Plegians, but she forced herself to swallow her emotions, not wanting to fail in her mission. She would fight them if she had to. She would fight them if she saw them.

Ricken looked around him, his heart racing. There didn't seem to be any enemies as far as he could see, which was a relief. Then again, he could barely see - though there were some faint flickering lights way off in the distance, he was mostly relying on hearing to help him detect foes. Still, there was no indication that he was in much danger, and as such he kept going forwards, a hand wrapped around his magic tome, just in case. Hoping that soon there would be some light, he kept a hand on the wall, feeling around it for a hidden passage or a door - if he was looking for documents, then they would likely be stored away somewhere safe. Turning through a maze of corners, he hummed a small tune to himself as the darkness around him worsened, almost making him feel scared. But he wasn't going to fall prey to his childish emotions just yet. He would keep going, even if it was just to prove to Cordelia and the rest of the Shepherds that he could.

Cordelia heard a scream. It was close to her, and she worried that it was Ricken. Part of her wanted to turn back, but there was another, more commanding part of her that told her it wasn't him. And though she wanted to go and find him, just in case, she realised that such an act would most likely cause her to become lost. The best thing for her to do was to continue. Besides, the scream sounded feminine - was there someone else down here? She had to know. Continuing onwards, she could still smell something horrific, and she began to wonder if it was some kind of rotting meat. She half expected to feel rats scurrying around her feet. But there was no sensation near her legs, and the ground beneath her was the same texture it had always been. It was as if there was someone near. Maybe a person lost and scared? Again, there was another scream. It sounded like the person was in major pain. Was it Ricken? She didn't know anymore. But she found that she couldn't turn back. Her legs forced her to keep going through the corridor. She was almost drawn to keep progressing to the end.

Ricken travelled as lightly as he could, walking on tip-toes. He kept looking around with paranoid eyes, every sound making him want to run and find Cordelia more and more. Every noise sounded like someone's footstep to him, and he couldn't tell if there were shadows in the gloom approaching. Plegians could have been anywhere, and there was no way for him to tell. There was no way for him to tell which way to go. Moving forwards, he kept his spell tome tightly gripped, ready to cast a spell in case of enemy contact. He still held out some hope for there being a passage he could slip through, as he moved in one direction. What was he even looking for? Documentation. But how was he going to figure out if what he found was even useful? Unless there was some light ahead, it would be impossible for him to be able to read it and find out how useful it was. He sighed. What had he gotten himself into? Shaking his head, trying not to panic, he kept going, walking through what seemed like an endless corridor. He was beginning to tire now, but he couldn't turn back just yet. Cordelia would be disappointed in him. She'd think him a failure.

Definitely noises. Though Ricken hadn't been sure earlier, now he could definitely tell that there were people somewhere. Ready to attack. Would they notice him in the darkness? He didn't know, but he didn't want to find out. Looking around through the oppressive shadows, he hoped to spot any approaching figures before they found him. There weren't any that he could see, but the constant sound of feet hitting the floor over and over again didn't fill him with confidence. Breathing heavily, he kept going forwards, no idea of how long he had been here. Something inside him told him to flee, but he silenced that thought. There had to be something important here. There had to. All he had to do was keep moving, keep going forwards, ignoring the fear in his heart that would otherwise expose him. He could do this.

Cordelia felt her sense of smell start to become smothered by the stench. It made her want to throw up, her throat fighting back bile. She'd heard screams multiple times now, and it almost sounded like they belonged to different people. What was going on here? She almost didn't want to know. But despite this, she forced herself to keep going, determined that she wasn't going to fail. Her body was weak, and she felt like she was going to be sick, or that she was going to collapse, but she tried not to pay attention to this, instead focusing as hard as she could on what she could hear around her. She almost wanted to hear the scream again, just so she could try and figure out what was going on. What was this place? The only thing keeping her going was the desperate need to figure out what the Plegians were doing, and the need to stop them. There was something inside her that didn't let her run away. She had to stand her ground.

A tear of fear ran down Ricken's eye. He was sure that somebody was nearby. Was he about to be attacked? He tried to look around, but he could still see nothing but the darkness. All he could hear were footsteps, seemingly moving closer to him. Part of him wanted to call for Cordelia, but he knew it was best to maintain what little cover he had. There was a chance, a small chance but a chance nonetheless, that he would be able to go without being spotted. Did he move? It seemed the most sensible option, but he found that his legs resisted him. The noises were getting closer now. At least, that's what it felt like to him. He could feel wetness on his cheeks as he clutched his tome in his hands. His hear beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode, he forced out a blast of wind, and heard a yell. Sending out more magic from his hands, he desperately tried to fight off what sounded like a horde of Plegians. He just wished that there was some light, so that he could see what was happening. Was he about to die? There was a shout. A shout that he could almost feel. Letting wind fly from his fingers, he prayed that this would be enough to save him. But as he heard a low, rumbling laughter, he knew that it would not. Gulping desperate breaths, he prayed again, his face an utter mess of tears.

Cordelia stumbled forwards, and it wasn't long before she was attacked by what seemed like water. It trickled in through her boots, getting at her bruised feet. After a few minutes of this, a faint light shone, in the distance, and she winced at it, her eyes having to get used to the intensity of it. Following it, as if a child drawn to it by curiosity, she readied a hold on her lance, her paranoia allowing her nothing else. It shone on to the floor below, revealing no reason for the stench. The walls around her looked the same as they always had been. There seemed to be no signs of any Plegians. What was this place? She turned a corridor, and heard another scream. This time, it sounded close - very close. She took a deep breath. The liquid beneath her had mostly subsided, however, the light hadn't, allowing her the chance to look around. There was nothing that seemed unusual - no cracks in the walls or hidden passages - however, she kept going forwards anyway, guided by the glow.

There were cells. A horde of cells surrounding her. Cordelia could see that the doors were shut, and they seemed locked. A repugnant stench was emenating from them, and she was almost scared to go and investigate, her stomach churning at the mere thought of it. But she had come too far to simply cower now, and, taking a deep breath, she forced herself near one. The sight wasn't pretty, and Cordelia immediately had to inhale to stop herself from puking. Steadying herself, she found that she had to look again, just to make sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. But as much as she hated it, the image was still there, as real as could be, surrounded by bloody feathers. A great mix of emotions suddenly burst inside her, and she found it hard to stand up, her body overwhelmed. Tears trickling down from her face, she approached the corpse.

It was the body of a dead pegasus knight, and it had been horrifically mutilated, as if to send a message. She had a horrified expression on her face, and her eyes looked terrified, drying tears still on her cheeks. Quickly looking around her so as not to be caught by any Plegians, Cordelia gulped, stepping closer to the corpse, kneeling beside it.  
"Oh Naga, what happened to you? What did those bastards do to you?" She gulped, feeling a hot surge of anger flush to her cheeks as they became red, a contrast to the deathly white of her hands coiling around her weapon. Forcing herself to stand up, her body shaking, she looked around her, mustering up the resolve to check the other cells. More dead bodies. How many were there? How many more bloodied corpses were there? They could have been her fellow comrades. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realised this. Wiping it away as best she could, she forced herself forwards, although she wasn't even sure where she was going at this point. She didn't truly believe that there was anything else here, but she found that she could not, for some reason, just turn tail and flee. It was almost as if she was spellbound to stay here. A determination burned through her body, and she felt the urge to fight.

Plegians. There were a group of Plegians in front of her, and Cordelia felt a surge of energy in her body as if a cannon had gone off. Making sure that her lance was in her hand, she ran at them, her eyes blazing with fury. Stabbing out repeatedly at the enemy fighters, she made only a token effort to dodge, instead being more concentrated on rapid attacks, thrusting her spear through as many weak points as she could. This violent assault left her open, however, and she was struck in the side by an axe blow, causing her to be knocked away. Grunting, she turned to face her attacker, dodging his strike, before stabbing him in the eye, twisting her spear as she did so. Ripping her weapon out, she took a deep breath, spitting out blood as she prepared to block a brutal assault from another Plegian, standing her ground as best she could. Ducking under his strike, she managed to force her spear into his leg, bringing it up, crippling him. Unfortunately, another fighter struck her when she did this, smashing into her armour, and she bit back tears of pain as she turned to fight him. Raising her spear to block his attack, she tried to push him backwards, although she barely had enough strength to do that. Taking in what breath she could, she dodged his blow, looking for an opportunity to strike. Her eyes burning with a hate, she thrust her lance into his throat, spilling blood as she cut it open. Dropping to her knees, she panted, sweat and tears pouring down her face, mixing together as they dropped on the cold, wet below.

How long had she been wandering? Cordelia's muscles ached as she forced herself forwards, heat building up inside her armour as she trudged onwards, hate and rage building up in her throat and her mind before quickly being dispersed by fatigue, long before they had any chance to act on her physical state. She sighed. The torches in front of her flickered. Had she been this way? Stifling an urge to shout or make some kind of noise, she closed her eyes, trying to think. Where was Ricken? What was this goddamned place? Where did she go? Questions burned through her mind as they relentlessly tore away at her confidence and her will to go on. The corpses of the dead pegasus knights flashed through her brain as she turned yet another corner into a familiar-looking corridor. She could still smell the stench of rotting bodies. Fighting off the urge to be sick, she marched through the building, her footsteps failing at stealth. Her lance was bloody, as was her armour, but she could do nothing about that, instead focusing on trying to navigate the maze of like hallways that seemed to make up the place.

It was an hour of wandering, of brief and light skirmishes that ended with her foes slain for the little cost of a few minor bruises, before Cordelia reached a corridor where she was hit by a strange smell. Blood.  
"Don't let there be more cells..." She whispered, almost whimpering, throat too raw and ragged to raise her voice any higher. Stepping forwards carefully, fighting the resistance in her legs, she made sure that her lance was in her hand, as if it was a security blanket for her. The handle was cold to touch, but she gripped it tightly still, as the stench of crimson filtered into her nostrils. "Please Naga, don't let there be more..." Her prayer floating into the air, snatching away from her, she plunged deeper into the depths, following the light acting as her guide, too far to turn back now, as if stuck in quicksand. Unable to resist its' pull, she let herself be dragged in deeper.

"No!" Cordelia screamed before she could stop herself. "No!" She wanted to collapse on the floor, but she found herself unable to fall, her legs held in place by some unknown force. Clenching her fists, she felt bile surge out of her throat, unable to stop herself as tears leaked down her face. The corpse of the mage was ravaged, flesh and bone scattered around like some offering to a sick god. "Ricken..." She spoke softly, her voice forced out despite her swallowing harshly. "Please, Naga, don't let this be real." Tears flooded down from her face, raindrops hitting the mangled body below her, a constant rhythm of drips and drops breaking the silence, accompanying her gulps and sobs as she folded in on herself, her head buried in her hands, her back stooped low as she clutched and clawed at her tender face. She could barely see his eyes, transfixed in an expression of abject terror. As she sat there, weeping and scratching at herself, she heard a noise, and her base survival instinct took over as she glanced around, scrambling for her lance. Barely able to see past the veil of tears that threatened to suffocate her, she coughed slightly, pain bubbling in her throat as she felt a scraping sensation in her neck. A heavy dose of adrenaline beat through her veins as she shuffled backwards slightly, unable to convince her leg muscles to let her stand. Stifling her breathing, she prayed that she wouldn't be found here.

It was five awful minutes of immobility before Cordelia managed to force herself upwards, standing on shaking legs. Her tears had dried, dead in the eerie glow of the faint torches, and her screaming voice had fled, leaving her almost able to function. She still swore she could hear footsteps, but the despite the path of light in front of her, it felt like there was an impenetrable veil of darkness ahead, and though her sense of duty told her to carry on, there was a magnetic repulsion to that idea. Glancing one more time at Ricken's barely-recognisable corpse, she took a deep breath. There would be no chance of a proper burial for him. Part of her wanted desperately to lash out at something. The walls, the floor, Plegians, anything! She closed her eyes, trying to let the anger flow out of her, as if she were some kind of human conduit. No chance of a burial, but perhaps a funeral. She didn't know anymore. Turning her back on the body, unable to stand the strain on her heart any more, she began to walk back in silence, fear and grief managing to overcome her urge to take revenge.

Cordelia had almost managed to escape the building (which she had figured out to be a prison), some miracle of navigation allowing her not to take too many wrong turns, when she saw a couple of figures in her view. Plegian scum. Their axes were not bloody, or even particularly well-kept, and they studied her as she approached, her crimson-coated lance in her hands. She had blood on her armour. It was practically soaked with scarlet stains, and she was faintly aware of the dents to the plate that covered her.  
"Miss, are you with the Ylisseans? Are-are you with Prince Chrom?" One of them spoke in a pathetic whimper, taking a step back from the redheaded pegasus knight.  
"Yes." Her voice was quiet and terse, no emotion or movement on her face displayed.  
"Could-could you direct us to him? We want to desert..." She shot back a blank look of incomprehension. "We think the Ylissean army... Well, we're sick of Gangrel and want to serve Prince Chrom. There's rumour he's looking to end this war as fast as he can."  
"Don't lie to me..." Taking another movement closer to them, she glared at them, hatred burning in her eyes. "Don't even try to trick me, you Plegian filth."  
"We-" The man's words trailed off into a gurgled shout as a lance found its' way through his stomach. As Cordelia glared at the other Plegian, she watched as he took a step back, not even trying to fight her, and, with one swift movement, thrust her lance through his neck, killing the defenseless deserter instantly. Seemingly unaffected by the corpses falling to the floor, she stepped over an extended arm, heading towards the exit, expressionless as she looked towards the darkness, letting it embrace her.


	11. Chapter 11 - One Good Turn

Chapter 11 - One Good Turn

"Do you think the Plegians will attack soon, Robin?" Chrom asked, as he paced around Robin's strategy tent, fiddling with his fingers, having safely stored Falchion away at Sumia's suggestion. "Do you think they'll get here before the Feroxians do?"  
"I don't know. They seem to be stalling for something. If it came down to it, we could most likely break through their forces, and hurry back to Ylisse. But for now it would be best to keep up our scouting routine, as we wait for Basilio." Robin added the last sentence before Chrom could speak. "We don't want to lose anyone." Though he didn't say it, the grimness in his eyes made it clear who he was referring to.  
"They'll come back soon. It's only been a few days."  
"I fear for them. I fear that I made a mistake letting them out, alone, into the harsh desert."  
"They're strong. We just have to trust in them."  
"I know what you're saying, Chrom. But Sumia and Lissa are worried, aren't they?" The prince hesitated, and Robin sighed. "If Cordelia and Ricken don't come back soon, before Ferox arrives, they'll be left behind. You know as well as I do that we can't wait for them, unless we want to risk the whole of our force."  
"Yes, Robin. You can be damn sure I'm aware of that." A moment's silence as the two Ylisseans looked at each other. "I shouldn't have made such an outburst. It was uncalled for." Robin stretched, getting up from his chair and moving over towards Chrom, resting a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's not your fault. The stress is getting to all of us."  
"Damn Gangrel. This is all his doing."  
"He's not put us in an easy position. We have to be prepared for whatever he plans next."  
"Yes, Robin." Chrom took a deep breath. "I should go now. Sumia'll be worried."  
"Onwards you go, prince."

Cordelia walked slowly, beneath the sweltering heat of the Plegian sun. Her head buzzed and ached, as it glistened with sweat streaming down from her face. It felt like she was being barbecued beneath her armour, and she panted for breath repeatedly, having no water to refresh herself. By the time she'd escaped the building, it had been rapidly approaching night, and after a pathetic attempt at sleeping, she'd started travelling again the next day, rings around her sorrowful eyes. Her brain wasn't alert - memories and regrets bounced all around her head, a mess of jumbled signals distracting her senses, and making it hard to concentrate. Feeling sick, the constant buzzing of flies dancing around her head and torso causing a sense of queasiness to build up in her belly, she forced herself to march through the shifting sands. The sky clear above her, allowing the sun to fire down its' harsh rays, she kept going, her head down low, avoiding the blare of blue from on high.

Cordelia didn't know where she was walking. It had been a couple of days since Ricken's death, and she'd escaped into the desert of Plegia, only to wander freely, without any kind of direction. She had no idea where the Shepherds were. Guessing at a possible location, she followed the sand dunes, her boots making prints in the yellow beneath her. All the while, she tried to keep as alert as she could, despite the parched, irritating dryness in her throat. How long had it been since she had last drunk water? She had a flask stored around her hip, but it was barren, long since empty. Walking sadly, she occasionally turned to her side, but she had no companion save the whistling desert winds, which sometimes intensified, bringing with them a storm of sand, whipping and biting at her exposed hands and face. Alone, she wandered, tears rarely dropping from her face, only to be instantly forgotten as they plunged into the swirling solids below.

It had to be three or four days before Cordelia came across what looked like an old supply camp. At first, she blinked, not sure if what she was seeing was some kind of mirage brought on by her delusional mind - it wouldn't have been the first illusion she saw; her brain conjuring up images of long dead pegasus knights or mages accompanying her for a precious few moments, before she harshly dispelled the frauds. But, as she closed in on its' location, rubbing her grainy eyes with sandy fingers, the image came closer and closer into focus. Would they have water? Food? Her body was practically running on empty. Only a fierce survival instinct allowed her to keep going on. Keeping herself going, the faint promise of sustenance laid out tantalisingly in front of her, she focused on thoughts of food and water, instead of practical questions.

Cordelia's desires were rewarded as she glanced around the site. A couple of bags lay about, bread, dried meat rations and flasks of water hiding within the protective leather shells. Gluttony consuming her, she raced over to them, not even stopping to inspect whether it would be a trap or not. Guzzling down all the fluids from one of the containers in a matter of seconds, she took a deep breath, gulping slightly as she let the liquid trickle down her, moisture finally softening the harshness of her throat, relaxing the rawness building up inside. Licking her lips, she let out a deep sigh. Her hunger ravaging at her, she consumed a group of the rations, not stopping for a minute to check if they were pork, beef or something else. All that mattered to her was shovelling as much food down her mouth as quickly as she could. The bread that she ate was dry and hard, but she didn't care, the sensation of something touching her throat that wasn't sand providing her with enough nourishment just to keep going. Her mouth slightly watering as she ravaged more and more of the meal, she eventually stopped, her stomach satisfyingly full. Sighing deeply, her greed under control, she gazed around her. As she explored the camp, she realised two things. This wasn't abandoned due to some attack - there were no signs of a struggle, and as she explored the place, all she found were carefully discarded sacks, and old tents, pinned to the ground and never allowed to move. Secondly, this wasn't Plegian. The thought nagged at her as she completed a circle of the place, and as she reached the end, the realisation hit her like a wave crashing over her. This was Feroxian. But what were they doing here? Searching through the rest of the bags, she checked around for any documents that could give her some kind of indication as to the reasons for Feroxian presence in Plegia, but found nothing. Sighing, she gazed around. She'd have to move on.

"How long do you think they'll be gone, Captain?" Sumia asked Chrom, as she felt around for the grip of his hand.  
"I'm not sure, Sumia." It had been the third time he'd answered this question, and he was starting to wonder if Cordelia and Ricken were ever going to return. "But I'm sure they don't want you to spend all your time worrying about them." Sumia sighed.  
"I know, Captain. I just can't help myself."  
"They'll be fine. I have faith in them." He smiled as gently as he could at her. "For now, we have more pressing matters to deal with."  
"What did Robin say about the Feroxians?"  
"All we know is that they're still marching towards us. We can only hope they reach us before Plegia strikes."  
"Are you worried, Chrom?" There was a concerned look on her face.  
"I'll be fine, Sumia." Kissing her gently on the lips, he cradled her slightly. "I'll be fine."

Another camp. Cordelia scanned around it, noting from the colours of the banners left flapping around in the harsh desert winds that it too was Feroxian. And again, it was the same story as last time. There had to be a reason for this. Taking a deep breath, she tried to work out what direction she'd been walking. Gazing up into the heavy blue skies, she guessed it to be north, perhaps having been driven east somewhat by the sandy storm. As she headed towards the foodstuffs stored around, she realised that they were older, and staler than those she had found previously. Regarding them with an odd stare, she shook her head as she sighed, deciding they were too dated to be safe. The last thing she wanted was to be sick. Sitting down on the warm sands, she felt a blast of heat surge up, and she bit her lip at the discomfort. But her legs were too sore, too tired from walking that the thought of standing up was more a joke than anything else. Looking around the Feroxian camp, she put a hand to her head as she felt the burning haze burrow into her brain. Why were they in Plegia? Robin had told her why, and she couldn't remember. A tear trickled down her face. That had been so long ago. Swallowing, she felt a rising shout dig into her lungs, scrambling at her throat in an effort to get free. Her fists clenched, sweat pouring down her arms as she stretched her legs out, wincing slightly at the pain. Choking on her own voice, she let out a pained cry, as she tried to work through the various reasons for the Feroxi presence. Were they coming to help the Ylisseans? A small smile stretched on her face. If that was the case, then she could find the Shepherds again. Forcing herself to stand up, powering through the pain bursting from her legs, flooding up into her body, she let her arms straighten out. At least she had a purpose now.

It was some manner of days before Cordelia stumbled across another important camp. She'd found various tents and banners, with bags and sacks scattered around them, and it was enough to keep her going, but it didn't offer any clues to how far away the main army of Ferox was. Trying to follow some sort of path, she'd eventually managed to wind up in a part of the desert that was practically coated with dunes, hills of sand rising up and down. And within those yellow mountains, she'd found a smattering of tents pitched across the golden surfaces. Taking a breath, letting some of the ache in her muscles flow out of her mouth, she headed towards the camp, the glare from above beating on her back. Though it seemed a far distance away, she eventually managed to reach it, and as she began to stare around, her eyes watching out for anything of importance, a noise made her jump slightly, although she didn't show it.  
"You! What business have you here?" A group of Feroxian soldiers advanced on her, sharpened lances held in their hands. They were dressed for war, and helmets concealed the faces of all but their leader, who had a steely set of grey eyes. "Why do you disturb us?"  
"I-I-" She spluttered, trying to regain her composure. "I was looking for you."  
"What do you want with the might of Ferox?" She was painfully aware of the fact the warriors were now circling around her, taking steps closer, giving her almost no room to breathe past the circle of glinting steel.  
"Are-are you heading to the Shepherds?"  
"Why does this information concern you?" Another step. She could almost feel the points touching her armour, and visions of agony flashed before her eyes, her body trembling and beginning to sweat profusely. "Well?" The man barked, terminating the words she was about to form.  
"My name's Cordelia. I'm a Shepherd." The soldier narrowed his eyes at her, as she felt him scan all over her body, her privacy invaded.  
"I've heard that name before." There was a brief pause, and Cordelia felt her stomach start to sink as if a ship with a breached hull. "Come with me." She felt a hand grab her arm, roughly, and she fought to stop herself from crying out as she was yanked on, following the soldier along as if she was his slave.

Cordelia was dragged along the entire width of the camp, until she was hauled in front of a soldier, dressed in polished armour, with a crowned helmet. Though he had a large figure, his body towering over her, he had a pair of relaxed blue eyes, despite the lance he wielded, which was almost as tall as him, the sharpened splint at the end glinting in the sun's glow. At his side were two stern-faced guards, both armed with halberds, and clad in steel plate. She was painfully aware of their fixed stares, eyes glaring at her as she cleared her throat, looking at the Feroxian commander. He seemed to be expecting something, and as she felt the rising surge of panic soar through her lungs, she coughed.  
"Um..."  
"Answer our commander." A voice from behind spoke, and she gulped.  
"I'm with the Shepherds. My name is Cor-" She struggled with her words, only barely able to utter them. "Cordelia." The man laughed at that, and with a wave of his hands, he dismissed the majority of his soldiers, leaving just the two by his side. "I've been trying to find you. I'm hoping you could return me to the Shepherds."  
"Yes, Cordelia. We've heard about you. You're the one who saved those villagers."  
"I-I didn't save them all..." She sighed, her fists clenching as she dug her nails deep into her flesh. "I could have saved them all." The Feroxian gave her a look she couldn't decipher, and she panicked slightly, stepping backwards. "I'm sorry. Such displays are unbecoming of me."  
"No. It's not your fault. We all falter from time to time. But enough talk. We're here to celebrate!"  
"We are?"  
"Once we get to the Shepherds, we can escort them back to Ylisse. And what better way to do that then to deliver them one of their own?" The commander laughed, however, just as she was about to do the same, he gave her an odd look. "We heard reports about you defending those people from the Risen. Didn't you have someone with you?"  
"Um..." She felt her body begin to shake as all three warriors stared at her, a mixture of gazes sweeping over her fragile form. "It was the Plegians." The words were a glimmering whisper, only audible due to the lack of noise from anywhere else.  
"I'm sorry for your loss."  
"It's my fault. I couldn't save him."  
"No. We all lose people close to us. Do not blame yourself!"  
"But I-" She sighed, laughing slightly. "I suppose." Looking around her, she swallowed slightly, a strange feeling shivering down her throat. "Do-do you know where the Shepherds are?"  
"Of course. We're no more than five days' march from them." The Feroxian looked up to the skies. "It is getting late. Will you stay the night with us?" Cordelia smiled, slightly hesitant, but still managing to contort her mouth into the right shape, nodding as she did so.  
"Thank you."

"It's morning. Look alive, soldiers!" The ringing shouts of one of the Feroxians filled her dazed head, a constant shrill noise cascading around in the mess that was her mind. She blinked. The tent that surrounded her was a drab thing, but it suited its' purpose just fine. It had blocked out the sun for her, and she stretched, feeling that she'd almost had a decent night's sleep - not even the shadows of the prison stopped her from drifting off. "We've got a hard day's march in us yet!" Scrambling to ready herself, she emerged out of the tent a few minutes later with everything she needed; the Feroxians had loaned her some more supplies, which she had in pouches around her belt, in absence of saddle-bags. It weighed her down, but she could still move forwards with relative impunity. "You're Cordelia, aren't you?" The Feroxian glared at her as she walked up to him. "You'll be marching with our commander."  
"Oh, um, yes." Trying to relax, she breathed out.  
"Follow me." A hand wrapped around her arm, squeezing it tightly, and she winced, as she was taken across the camp, before being hauled, once again, in front of the Feroxian commander.  
"Ah, good to see you, Cordelia. Are you ready to travel?"  
"Y-Yes, commander."  
"You do not have to be that formal with me. Only my men do!" He let out a laugh, as he turned to the other Feroxian, dismissing him with a nod. "Come. Once my men have been inspected, we shall be setting off."  
"Of course."  
"You seem ill at ease, my friend. Are you still plagued by your memories?"  
"I-Yes."  
"You'll never be able to save everyone if you live in the past."  
"Yeah." Cordelia sighed, her heart tightening.  
"You'll feel better once we reach the Shepherds."

It was no more than half an hour before the marching began. At first, Cordelia could feel a lightness in her belly, as she stayed by the commander's main force, surrounded on all sides by a seemingly unbreakable rank of elites, their perfectly-formed movements bringing to mind the formations of the pegasi knights back in Ylisse. She tried to hide among them, hoping that she would be concealed among the legions of soldiers, even with her identifiable red hair. However, the farce was swiftly ended when one of the commander's elite found her, and requested her presence. Resigning herself to being at the front of the army, she tried not to let her nerves show, instead glancing around at the sea of desert in front of her. How long would it be before she was returned to the Shepherds? There was an acid taste in the back of her mouth, which she swallowed down. Locking up as many horrific thoughts as she could, she soldiered onwards, keeping an eye out for shapes shifting around in the sands.

The third day brought Plegians. Cordelia was not the first to see them on the horizon - that honour went to one of the Feroxian scouts that had to be about half a day ahead of the main army. But she was there when the news came.  
"Commander! Beg pardon, sir, but we have enemy contact ahead. We won't be able to sneak past them."  
"Numbers?"  
"No more than a hundred. No less than twenty."  
"Rally the troops. We'll prepare for combat here, and let them come to us. Cordelia, can you fight?"  
"I'll fight those Plegian bastards." Grabbing her lance, she gave a grim smile. The commander laughed at that, before grabbing a large steel axe that was sheathed by his side, concealed somewhat, although still visible. Pulling it out, he wielded it in one hand, as if its' weight were no more than paper to him.  
"Well then. We shall let them come to us. Prepare yourselves, men."

As Cordelia watched the figures move towards her, she felt a rising surge of adrenaline build up in her chest, as she stood in line with the rest of the Feroxian advance guard. The few minutes it took for the Plegians to close the gap stretched on for what seemed like hours to her, each breath a minute long effort, the tension on the air slowing time down to a crawl. Watching as the sands were disturbed, grains of yellow flicked everywhere, she waited until the Plegians were in range. Suddenly, a stream of activity exploded around her, as the Feroxian war machine stepped forwards, lances meeting flesh as screams yelled out. Vigour in each of her strikes, she lashed out, her spear seeking targets, as she ducked and wove to avoid her foes. Though the sands underneath her were shifting, constantly threatening to knock her off her balance, she managed to stay safe, keeping her footing as she murdered more Plegians, their gurgling cries escaping into the desert sky. Blood sprayed with her strikes, splashing up and around her; however, this was of no consequence to her, her mind too focused on the fight to care about such trivialities. After about three or four minutes of this, of relative safety where the Feroxians to either side of her were protecting her flank, Cordelia had settled into a battle rhythm, as if the fight was a bloody tango where her partners kept changing; however, the repetitive dance moves were shaken up, as an arrow flew towards her. Moving her head to the side, she avoided death, but there was a cry from elsewhere.  
"Men! Advance on those archers!" As Cordelia glanced around, seeing the Feroxians break rank, she started rushing forwards, her legs scrabbling through the sand. It was difficult work, and she nearly slipped several times, but despite the hail of arrows flying at her face, she made it almost no worse for wear, save one wound where a shot had skimmed her skin. A gaze of fire causing her foes to step back, she wasted no time in stabbing into the archers, and as some joined her in hand-to-hand combat, wielding short daggers, she turned on them, her lance repeatedly thrusting into her foes, dropping bodies before her again and again. Her brutal assault left her open, and arrows struck her; although most of them bounced harmlessly off her armour, being quite badly-made, a few tore skin from her, causing her to wince as her pain fuelled another attack. The rest of the army joining her now, it wasn't long before all of the Plegians had been slain, their blood seeping down into the floor, dyeing it an almost pretty crimson.

"Cordelia, you fought like a demon!" The Feroxian commander laughed. "Well done." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't like to embarrass my men, but they're in awe of you."  
"Well, I... um..." She laughed nervously.  
"Don't look so scared! You've done well, and I can certainly see why they let you be a Shepherd!"  
"Yeah..."  
"Come on. Don't be shy." She gripped his hand, shaking it as she faked a smile, laughing in synchronisation with him. "Does it not feel good? Triumph in battle?"  
"It..." A sigh escaped her lips. "Yeah, I guess it does."  
"The Plegian army will soon be routed at this rate."  
"Yeah, they will."

Cordelia lay awake beneath the black canvas of stars, her eyes seemingly transfixed by the pattern of constellations above. In truth, her mind was active in her memories, reliving the events of the day over and over again. She had fought like a demon. Glancing down at her blood-stained armour, which she had not yet cleaned, she sighed, a tear dropping from her face. She shook slightly. Gulping for breath, she looked at the lance that she'd stored next to her. There was no tent for her to sleep in this day - instead, she'd been resting without protection, her body sheltered only by her plate. As such, her weapons were within touching distance. Her spear, like her, was bloodied. She sighed. Turning to her side, her gaze sweeping across the endless sandy ocean, she closed her eyes, trying to shut off her stream of consciousness.

Eventually, the next day came, and although she'd only just fallen asleep, Cordelia was woken up by a din of shouting, her eyes stirring as she forced herself upright. Her body hurt, throbbing painfully from the previous day, and she found it difficult to move. Stretching out, she winced slightly, stumbling around as she looked for the Feroxian commander. Mercifully, it didn't take her long to find him.  
"I'm here, sir." She spoke awkwardly, prompting yet another laugh.  
"You looked tired, Cordelia. And have you forgotten what I said about formality?"  
"I'm sorry." He sighed, shaking his head, still a jovial expression on his face.  
"Come on. Can you march today?" She nodded. "Good."

There were no more encounters with enemy forces for the rest of the journey, despite the Feroxians pressing deeper into the heart of the desert. This did not upset Cordelia, who spent each day glancing around, praying that she would not have to use her fighting abilities again. Walking with the commander's convoy, she could not see the glances of those behind her, and the expressions of those she was with gave nothing away, but she still wondered about what he had said to her. Her brain went through all possibilities of what that might have meant, and she almost felt like shivering. Again and again through the journey, her fists clenched involuntarily, as sometimes she had to switch off her thoughts immediately, just to stop the pain - whenever she reminisced, she remembered everything. And the more she thought about reuniting with the Shepherds once again, the more her stomach twisted and turned, as if doing aerobatics in her body. Here was simple.

"We'll be there by the end of today." The Feroxian commander informed Cordelia as she rose for a new day, forcing herself away from her nightmares. She'd gained a small measure of sleep that night, but it wasn't long before a sweeping horde of violent dreams tore at her, scratching and biting, particularly ill-tempered children lashing out against whatever authority they could. She'd managed to stifle her screaming, keeping her fears tucked safely away where only she could scream at them, but that effort had been too much to allow her much more rest. Her eyes were baggy, and she felt them threaten to slip away from her.  
"Good. Thank you."  
"It's no problem. Besides, you're the one you'll prove our intentions!"  
"Yeah." She smiled, laughing slightly. Looking ahead, she swallowed slightly. Revealing what had happened to the Shepherds was something she wasn't enjoying the prospect of, but it seemed that day of reckoning was about to happen.


End file.
